One of the biggest storylines for the Blue Jays heading into the World Series was the return of Bo Bichette. Notably, after missing about 48 days, getting their most consistent hitter back felt like just the boost Toronto needed. But things didn’t exactly play out that way.

On a night when Addison Barger, Alejandro Kirk, and Daulton Varsho all stepped up, Bichette looked a bit off from his usual form. He managed just one hit and a stolen base in two at-bats, and that’s surely not the impact fans were hoping for. It didn’t matter much in Game 1, with the Jays cruising past the Dodgers, but heading into Game 2, there’s a twist.

According to Blue Jays insider Mitch Bannon, Bichette won’t be in the lineup. “Bo Bichette is out of today’s Blue Jays lineup. IKF in at 2B.”

Is there any physical setback, or is Bichette’s struggle in Game 1 the reason? Manager John Schneider had an answer for that.

“He’ll be ready to play today, for sure. But really, after the layoff, I didn’t want to kill him… When we put him on the roster, we did so because we thought he could help us win, which he did. And keeping in mind that he hasn’t played in seven weeks.”

As it turns out, Bichette isn’t sitting out Game 2 because of any setback; rather, quite the opposite.

Schneider made it clear that giving Isiah Kiner-Falefa the start was part of the plan all along. After missing seven weeks with a knee injury, the Jays don’t want to push Bichette too hard right away.

Kiner-Falefa will now take over at second base and hit eighth against Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Game 2. He actually replaced Bichette as a pinch-runner during Toronto’s huge nine-run sixth inning on Friday. Honestly, it feels like a sensible move by the Jays.

With a 1-0 lead in the series, they have the luxury of letting Bichette rest and ramp up gradually. And if this series goes the distance, having him fresh could be a game-changer.

As for the Dodgers, though, this is a bit of a break. They won’t have to deal with Bichette, who’s been one of the toughest hitters in baseball against fastballs and trails only Aaron Judge with a .311 batting average this season.

The Dodgers are betting on a Japanese arm to turn the tables

It wasn’t the best night for Blake Snell in Game 1 for the Dodgers. For five innings, he gave up 5 runs and just 4 SOs. He was looking sharp, giving up just a two-run homer to Daulton Varsho and keeping things tied at 2–2 heading into the sixth. But once his command slipped, the Blue Jays made him pay.

A walk, a single, and a hit-by-pitch loaded the bases, forcing the bullpen to step in, and that’s when things unraveled.

Up until that point, the Dodgers’ starting rotation had been the team’s biggest weapon this postseason, posting an incredible 1.40 ERA. Game 1, though, didn’t fit that script. Now the spotlight turns to Yoshinobu Yamamoto for Game 2 against Kevin Gausman, with the Dodgers trying to avoid trailing 0-2 in the series.

History shows that’s something only 10 out of 121 teams have ever climbed out of.

Now, Yamamoto has been excellent this postseason, posting a 1.83 ERA with 18 strikeouts in 19.2 innings, including a complete-game gem against Milwaukee in the NLCS. “He’s been great all year, and he’s locked in,” Will Smith mentioned ahead of the matchup. “It’s going to be a fun night for him.”

If Yamamoto could continue his hot streak, the Dodgers might surely have a fun night.