Toronto leads series 1-0 as the Fall Classic returns north of the border for the first time since 1993. The Toronto Blue Jays made a thunderous return to the World Series stage Friday night, slugging their way to an emphatic 11-4 win over the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1 at Rogers Centre.
Addison Barger etched his name into baseball lore with the first pinch-hit grand slam in World Series history, while Alejandro Kirk crushed a two-run homer during a stunning nine-run sixth inning that turned an early deficit into a rout.
Daulton Varsho sparked the comeback with a two-run homer in the fourth inning off Dodgers ace and two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell, erasing a 2-0 Los Angeles lead. The longball barrage sent the sold-out Toronto crowd into a frenzy — a fitting script as the World Series returned to Canada for the first time since 1993, when Joe Carter’s legendary walk-off homer sealed a championship for the Blue Jays.
In an uncanny bit of baseball symmetry, Varsho — whose first name honors the late Phillies catcher Darren Daulton, who was behind the plate when Carter hit that famous homer — played a pivotal role in Toronto’s latest Fall Classic moment.
Barger’s grand slam off reliever Michael Grove broke the game open in the sixth, turning a 4-2 Toronto lead into a commanding advantage. Moments later, Kirk’s two-run blast capped the outburst and effectively ended the night for the Dodgers, who had entered the series as heavy favorites.
Shohei Ohtani provided one of the few bright spots for Los Angeles, smashing his first World Series home run — a two-run shot in the seventh inning off Braydon Fisher. It marked Ohtani’s fourth homer in his past two games, but it wasn’t nearly enough to spark a comeback.
As Ohtani stepped to the plate in the ninth, Blue Jays fans — still smarting from his decision to sign with the Dodgers over Toronto in December 2023 — serenaded him with chants of “We don’t need you!” The jeers only fueled an already electric atmosphere inside Rogers Centre.
The Blue Jays’ offense produced 14 hits on the night, with every starter reaching base at least once. Snell lasted just 4 1/3 innings, tagged for four runs and seven hits, while Toronto’s bullpen held firm after starter Chris Bassitt weathered early trouble.
With the victory, the Blue Jays take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series, positioning themselves perfectly as they chase their first championship in over three decades.
Game 2 is set for Saturday night at Rogers Centre, with Toronto looking to build on its historic night and the Dodgers desperate to even the series before the Fall Classic shifts back to Los Angeles.
