Addison Barger’s Pinch Grand Slam Propels Blue Jays’ Game 1 Win

Game 1 of the 2025 World Series brought everything fans crave about October baseball — wild drama, jaw-dropping moments, and history being made right before your eyes.

At a packed Rogers Centre, the **Toronto Blue Jays dismantled the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers** with an emphatic 11–4 victory.

From a rookie’s stunning grand slam to the return of a franchise star, this opener was all about seizing the biggest moments.

Rookie Addison Barger’s Grand Slam Rewrite of History

The real shift happened in the middle innings. Rookie Addison Barger, seeing his first World Series action, came up as a pinch-hitter.

He faced Dodgers reliever Anthony Banda, who just entered to try and stop the bleeding. Barger smashed a towering shot into the roaring Toronto crowd — the first pinch-hit grand slam in World Series history.

A Rare Pitching Stat for the Record Books

Banda’s night went from bad to historic in a hurry. He became only the seventh pitcher to give up a grand slam to the first batter he faced in a World Series game.

For some perspective, the Dodgers had allowed only four runs in the entire NLCS. Barger matched that with one swing.

Bo Bichette’s Triumphant Return

The Blue Jays also got Bo Bichette back after a brutal 48 days on the injured list. In a surprise move, Bichette started at second base for the first time ever in the majors.

He didn’t waste time — lined a single in his first at-bat, firing up the crowd and his teammates.

Setting a World Series Debut Record

That hit wasn’t just a momentum spark. According to STATS Perform, Bichette’s comeback marked the longest layoff before recording a hit in a World Series debut at any position.

Honestly, that’s a wild stat and says a lot about his work ethic and mindset under the lights.

Trey Yesavage’s Unprecedented Start

The Blue Jays’ bats set the tone, but **starting pitcher Trey Yesavage** did his part early to keep the Dodgers in check. The 22-year-old righty was making just his fourth big-league start.

That kind of inexperience in a Game 1 role is almost unheard of — it’s the fewest career starts for a World Series Game 1 starter since 1950.

Calm in the Spotlight

Yesavage wasn’t perfect, but he stayed cool against a veteran Dodgers lineup. Toronto’s front office clearly saw something in him, and he showed why.

His poise set the stage for the bats to explode.

Alejandro Kirk’s Perfect Night at the Plate

Catcher Alejandro Kirk came up huge as well. The stocky backstop went 3-for-3 with a home run in his first-ever World Series game.

That puts him alongside Hall of Famer Mel Ott (1933) as the only players to do that. Pretty rare air.

Impact Beyond the Box Score

Kirk’s bat kept the runs coming, but his steady hand with rookie Yesavage mattered just as much. He managed the pitching and delivered at the plate — the kind of all-around game that makes a difference.

Dodgers Bullpen Concerns Grow

For Los Angeles, this loss stung. The Dodgers’ bullpen, already shaky with a 6.16 ERA in October, fell apart in Game 1.

They just couldn’t stop Toronto’s rally, and it’s fair to wonder if they’ll be able to protect leads the rest of the series.

Championship Experience vs. Playoff Pressure

The Dodgers have the rings and the experience, but once Toronto’s lineup started rolling, they looked off-balance and tense.

Championship DNA only gets you so far when the pressure cranks up and things start to slip away. Isn’t that what makes October baseball so brutal — and so great?

Historic Night Underscores Baseball’s Unpredictability

The Blue Jays’ victory wasn’t just about the scoreboard. It was a night packed with rare records, wild performances, and that lingering feeling that maybe the underdog’s ready to shake things up.

Opening games rarely get this dramatic. That’s the thing about baseball—it just refuses to stick to the script.

• First pinch-hit grand slam in World Series history by Addison Barger.
• Bo Bichette’s longest layoff before a hit in a World Series debut.
• Trey Yesavage made just his fourth career start, the fewest ever for a Game 1 starter since 1950.
• Alejandro Kirk went a perfect 3-for-3, something nobody’s done since Mel Ott in 1933.

The series now turns toward the next game. Toronto’s got to figure out how to keep the bats hot.

Meanwhile, Los Angeles has some work to do with a bullpen that’s looking a bit shaky. Can they regroup and keep the crown, or is it already slipping?

 
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