After the NLCS, Dave Roberts confidently declared, “Let’s ruin baseball”. Now, Dave Roberts’ team is staring at its own ruin instead. The Jays are now just one win away from dominating the World Series 2025, and at this point, the Dodgers’ overconfidence seems to backfire, as they lost Game 5 by a 6-1 score, and that too at their own stadium.

Now, Ken Rosenthal has issued a warning for the Dodgers before Game 6. Rosenthal reports that the Dodgers’ manager admitted uncertainty over his strategy for the Game 6 lineup.

“Roberts said he wasn’t sure what he would do with his lineup for Game 6 against Jays right-hander Kevin Gausman, but going forward, here’s the scary part: Among the Dodgers’ hitters signed beyond this season, first baseman Freddie Freeman is 36, third baseman Max Muncy 35, Kiké Hernández 34, outfielder Teoscar Hernández, and Betts 33. Freeman, in particular, was quite productive during the regular season. But even he is not what he was in his prime”, Rosenthal reported at the Athletic.

That highlights a harsh reality for the team. They do not have that time to capitalize on a 400 million payroll. Game 6, for the Dodgers, will be a do-or-die situation. And they will need to win two games back-to-back to get the winning title. However, Game 5 was a disaster for them. Their once-vaunted offense went silent. As Rosenthal said, “Some of the Dodgers’ offensive problems, perhaps, are attributable to bad luck. Their batting average on balls in play in the past three series is .265, 13 points below the league average in the postseason, while the Blue Jays’ playoff BABIP is .305. But the Dodgers also are striking out at a much higher rate (25 percent) than the Blue Jays (16) over those periods, and hitting fewer home runs”.

What was more concerning in Wednesday’s game for the Dodgers was that the team was totally overmatched by the Jays, Trey Yesavage. The manager himself did not stop from praising the rival’s starter, “A lot of poise,” Roberts said, related to Yesavage. “You can see he’s an athlete, fields his position, holds runners, good baseball IQ. There’s no panic. Game 1 and Game 5 on the road, and the way he performed, pretty impressive”, Roberts added.

Looking at all this situation, Rosenthal only said, “The Toronto Blue Jays are ruining the Dodgers. And the Dodgers are ruining themselves”.

Now, the concern is not whether the manager can save this World Series for the Dodgers. It is whether this version of the team, inconsistent, burdened by hope and aging, can maintain the team’s dominance.

Linking from Game 5’s harsh reality, the field’s other side pointed out a distinctive story filled with confidence, an unlikely hero, and composure who embraced the chaos.

Trey Yesavage’s ice-cold reaction to Dodgers fans turns him into the Jays’ October folk hero

Before Wednesday’s game, the fans of the Dodgers tried to rattle the Jays‘ Game 5 starter. However, instead of losing confidence, Trey Yesavage thrived under the force. As per Jeff Passan, “At one point, Yesavage took a breath, stepped off the mound, and turned to pitching coach Pete Walker. ‘This is fun,’ Yesavage said. ‘I love this’”. Later, Yesavage replied with his on-field performance.

“Jays rookie right-hander, Trey Yesavage, unfurled a performance for the ages in Game 5, befuddling the Dodgers with his split-fingered fastball and slider, becoming the first rookie to strike out 12 in a World Series game”, Rosenthal said. The star’s rise is not ordinary. He started the season in A-ball, then became the Jays’ most elite postseason pitcher and won 4 of his 5 playoff starts.

Finally, as the series relocates to Toronto, Yesavage’s “love the moment” attitude has become a rallying cry for the Jays. While veterans such as Yamamoto and Gausman are ready for the next battle, Yesavage’s calm in the midst of the Dodger Stadium’s fury will be remembered as the night Tonoto’s new ace truly arrived, and the night LA’s confidence ultimately cracked.