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5 hours ago
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Not many pitchers have done what Trey Yesavage is about to do on Friday night.
The Toronto Blue Jays' right-handed pitcher will start Game 1 of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, as a rookie.
He'll be the 13th rookie pitcher to start Game 1 in MLB history, according to Sportsnet. He'll oppose Blake Snell.
It's been quite the rapid-fire rise by Yesavage to get to this stage.
Yesavage began the year at Single-A. Yes, Single-A.
He made seven starts at Single-A Dunedin. Then it was four starts at High-A Vancouver. After that, eight appearances at Double-A New Hampshire.
Yesavage pitched six more times for Triple-A Buffalo. He was still with the Bison in early September, throwing three scoreless innings in Rochester before finally getting an MLB call up.
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And now here he is, readying to pitch in the World Series after just three regular season starts and three postseason starts in Major League Baseball.
Yesavage struck out 11 in 5.2 shutout innings in his first outing of these playoffs. He got hit around in his second start, then was pretty solid in his third.
The Blue Jays have solid starting pitching depth, but even with three days off between ALCS Game 7 and this, they've chosen Yesavage as their best option.
Toronto has multiple starting pitchers expected to be available out of the bullpen for this series, so if Yesavage encounters early trouble, Toronto can pivot.
But the Blue Jays would gladly watch their rookie shine on the brightest stage. He's already shone all the way to get here so fast, so why stop now?
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