No team had ever opened a World Series game with back-to-back home runs in the 121-year history of the Fall Classic—at least until Wednesday. Davis Schneider and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. led off the game with consecutive first-inning home runs, sparking the Toronto Blue Jays to a commanding 6-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 5 of the World Series at Dodger Stadium.
Guerrero’s home run marked his eighth of the postseason, tying him with Shohei Ohtani for the MLB lead. Both Guerrero and Schneider provided crucial early support for starter Trey Yesavage, who made history by becoming only the fourth pitcher in MLB history to strike out at least 12 batters in a World Series game and earn the win. He joined the ranks of Hall of Famers Sandy Koufax and Bob Gibson, as well as Carl Erskine, in this elite group.
With the win, the Blue Jays now lead the best-of-seven series 3-2. They have the chance to clinch their third World Series title—and their first since 1993—with a win in Game 6 on Friday at Rogers Centre.
### No Team Had Ever Led Off a World Series Game with Back-to-Back Home Runs
Derek Jeter famously homered on the first pitch he saw in Game 4 of the 2000 World Series, standing as the only player to truly ambush a pitcher right away—until now. Schneider, who has only started two World Series games while platooning with Nathan Lukes, was an unlikely candidate for a leadoff home run. He has just 32 home runs in 822 regular-season plate appearances and had not hit a homer since September 11 against the Houston Astros.
Additionally, Schneider only led off seven games for the Blue Jays during the regular season, including two games at Dodger Stadium earlier in August. Meanwhile, Dodgers ace Blake Snell had not allowed a first-inning run all postseason.
Schneider was filling in as designated hitter for regular leadoff man George Springer, who missed his second consecutive game due to right-side tightness. But he set the tone immediately by muscling a 97 mph fastball 373 feet off Snell to give Toronto an early lead—before many fans had even settled into their seats.
“You have to be ready to hit when [Snell] comes over the middle of the plate,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “That was the approach going in, to be ready to hit.”
### Vladimir Guerrero Is the Favorite to Win World Series MVP
There’s a strong case for Yesavage, who dazzled the Dodgers in Game 1 and etched his name into the record books with his dominant performance. Ohtani is also making history with feats never before seen in the postseason.
However, Guerrero has been the emotional and performance centerpiece for the Blue Jays throughout the postseason and into the World Series against the heavily favored reigning champs.
After Schneider’s leadoff homer, Guerrero followed with a solo shot off Snell’s third pitch, depositing the ball into the Dodgers’ bullpen and extending Toronto’s lead to 2-0.
“That was a good start for us, you know, to get a little two-run cushion for Trey in this environment,” Schneider said.
This was Guerrero’s second World Series home run in as many nights. His 1-for-3 performance boosted his Fall Classic batting average to .363, with six runs scored and three RBIs.
“It was massive,” Yesavage said of the back-to-back homers. “Those guys set the tone, put us in control early and we didn’t lose that.”
As the team’s emotional leader and ALCS MVP, Guerrero is the favorite to claim the World Series MVP, especially with Toronto missing Springer and playing while infielder Bo Bichette is heavily compromised by a knee injury.
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