The Blue Jays made their presence felt in a big way in Game 1 of the World Series.
Some kind of statement, eh?
For all the talk leading into the World Series about the Dodgers being on the verge of going back-to-back, strengthening their case for a dynasty and relying on their dominant rotation, the Blue Jays brought it to a screeching halt, at least for one glorious night north of the border.
Game 1 entered the bottom of the sixth inning tied up and finished it a blowout, the Blue Jays doing to three Dodgers pitchers what they had done to many Yankees and Mariners before them on the road to the Fall Classic.
First against Blake Snell and then two relievers, the relentless Blue Jays lineup sent 12 men to the plate and scored nine of them, nearly blowing the roof off Rogers Centre in the process on the way to a 11-4 win over the Dodgers.
Addison Barger delivered the punishing blow, crushing the first pinch-hit grand slam in World Series history, a left-on-left blast off Anthony Banda that cracked open the game with a 9-2 lead.
In the first World Series game here in 32 years, the Blue Jays put on a show in front of a sellout crowd, proving that they were not just going to let the Dodgers skate to a second straight title.
Across the month of October — and really, for much of the regular season — the Blue Jays have cared little about the pedigree, salary or name of the starting pitcher on the mound against them.
