Addison Barger’s pinch-hit grand slam keyed a nine-run sixth inning, leading the Toronto Blue Jays to an 11-4 win over the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1 of the 2025 Wor Series Friday at Rogers Centre.
Alejandro Kirk also ripped a two-run homer in the sixth as the Jays broke open a 2-2 tie. Daulton Varsho had a two-run homer in the third inning for Toronto, while Vladimir Guerrero Jr., George Springer and Ernie Clement had two hits apiece.
Starter Trey Yesavage went four innings and gave up two runs, striking out five for the Jays. Seranthony Dominguez picked up the win in relief with 1 1/3 scoreless innings.
For the Dodgers, Shohei Ohtani had a two-run homer in the seventh inning off Jays reliever Braydon Fisher. Will Smith and Enrique Hernandez each drove in single runs. Starter Blake Snell took the loss, going five innings and allowing five earned runs.
Game 2 goes Saturday (5 p.m.) also at Rogers Centre.
L.A. opened the scoring in the second winning, when Enrique Hernandez singled home Teoscar Hernandez. They made it 2-0 in the third, when Smith singled home Mookie Betts.
The Jays pulled even at 2-2 in the fourth, when Kirk singled to set up Varsho’s 423-foot blast off Snell.
In the bottom of the sixth, Toronto’s Bo Bichette drew a walk, and was replaced by pinch-runner Isiah Kiner-Falefa. Snell then allowed a single to Kirk and hit Varsho to load the bases with his 100th pitch of the night.
THE FIRST PINCH-HIT GRAND SLAM IN WORLD SERIES HISTORY! pic.twitter.com/eQHuu1t4S8
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) October 25, 2025
He was then replaced by Emmet Sheehan, who walked Nathan Lukes to make it 4-2 Toronto. Andrés Giménez singled home Varsho to up the lead to 5-2. Anthony Banda was brought in to face Barger and promptly gave up the bomb – the first pinch-hit grand slam in World Series history.
“I was just trying to put a ball in play with the bases loaded to get a run in,” said Barger post-game. “I don’t know how to describe it. I couldn’t feel my legs.”
Kirk’s homer later in the inning upped the lead to 11-2.
Ohtani’s seventh-inning homer rounded out the scoring. Chris Bassitt tossed a scoreless inning for Toronto, and Eric Lauer closed things out with a scoreless ninth.
NOTES: Bichette returned to the lineup after missing an extended period with a knee injury… Jays fans playfully serenaded Ohtani with a ‘we don’t need you’ chant in the ninth. The two-way Japanese star was courted by Toronto before joining the Dodgers… Kirk finished with three hits on the night and Guerrero is hitting .447 in the post-season… Toronto’s pitchers combined to strike out 13 Dodgers, while Jays hitters whiffed only four times.