Game 5 is in the books, and while the Blue Jays pulled off a convincing 6–1 win, manager John Schneider didn’t seem too interested in talking about it. His mind’s already on tonight’s Game 6. But what if the opponent starts throwing shade at his lineup after such a dominant performance? That’s a whole different story, and Schneider wasn’t about to let that slide.

Blake Snell, who took the brunt of Toronto’s offensive outburst, had a rough outing with two homers in his first three pitches and five runs on six hits over 6 2/3 innings. However, afterward, Snell chalked it up to bad luck, saying, “Luck plays in baseball, too.” He even downplayed the Jays’ hitters, adding, “Vlad’s a really good hitter… but the rest of the lineup…”

Well, Schneider might be focused on what’s next, but when someone takes a shot at his top-ranked offense, you can bet he’s going to fire back, and that’s exactly what he did.

“I thought [Davis Schneider] does what he is good at, Vladimir is one of the best players in the game, and I thought we really made him work. He’s a great pitcher. I’m worried about tomorrow, Game 6 here. Yamamoto’s an even tougher task. So we led the league in hitting this year. I don’t think we’re too bad.” Schneider responded with a classy yet pointed clapback.

While Schneider gave Snell his due, calling him a good pitcher, he made sure to remind everyone that the Blue Jays’ bats are leading the charge, especially in the postseason. Even the best arms in baseball have struggled against them lately, and the numbers back him up. Reportedly, Toronto’s hitting .261 as a team, compared to the Dodgers’ .201, and their .730 OPS dwarfs L.A.’s .650. So yes, Schneider’s confidence isn’t misplaced!!!

Still, he’s not getting caught up in any war of words. Why? Because his focus is squarely on what’s next, and that’s Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

Yamamoto has been nearly untouchable this postseason, posting a 1.57 ERA and becoming the first pitcher since Curt Schilling in 2001 to throw back-to-back complete games in the playoffs. And let’s not forget Game 2, when Yamamoto dominated Toronto with nine shutout innings, allowing just four hits and striking out eight.

So it’s no surprise Schneider’s got his eyes on tonight’s matchup more than Snell’s postgame comments.

Schneider’s answer lies with Kevin Gausman

The Dodgers are turning to Yoshinobu Yamamoto tonight, but John Schneider is also not left behind… He got a strong counter of his own, Kevin Gausman. “It always feels good to give Kev the ball,” Schneider said ahead of Game 6. And it all makes sense!

Notably, Gausman made his World Series debut back in Game 2 and actually looked sharper than his final line suggested. He limited the Dodgers to three runs on four hits over 6 2/3 innings. But that pair of late homers from Will Smith and Max Muncy spoiled what had been an outstanding performance. Still, that outing gave Schneider all the confidence he needed to hand him the ball again. And perhaps in the biggest start of Gausman’s career.

But it won’t be easy…

He’s facing one of baseball’s most stacked lineups. While the Dodgers’ lineup is not at its best, names like Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman could just ruin any pitcher’s hot streak out of nowhere. There’s no doubt that Gausman’s more than capable, but he’ll need the Blue Jays’ bats to keep doing what they’ve done all series long.

Nevertheless, given how hot Toronto’s offense has been, John Schneider has every reason to believe his team can finish the job and clinch the World Series tonight. The Blue Jays enter Game 6 with a 3–2 World Series lead, just one win away from their first championship since 1993.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is batting .320 with three homers and eight RBIs, while Bo Bichette has hit .295 with several clutch performances. Rookie Davis Schneider has been a revelation this postseason, hitting .310 with timely power — perfectly backing up John Schneider’s faith in his lineup.