“We haven’t found our rhythm….It sort of draws dead at certain parts of the lineup. I’m going to think long and hard, and it might look different tomorrow.” After the loss at Game 4, Dave Roberts hinted that a change was coming for Game 5.

The manager reshuffled his lineup to reignite the team’s offense. Yet, the Dodgers fell 6-1 to the Blue Jays. Former MLB president David Samson noticed the situation and did not stop to criticize Roberts for his strategic failure.

On Nothing Personal with David Samson, the host remarked, “Dave Roberts announced that he had made a lineup change. Turns out Andrew Friedman had nothing to do with it. He got to the ballpark and got a text alert from MLB.com that had his lineup in it — and had Mookie Betts moving down to the three hole. Unbelievable.”

Samson then added, “Ohtani stayed at one. Will Smith batted second. They moved Mookie Betts up to three and then Freeman a cleanup. Andrew Friedman got to the game.”

Next, he even targeted Roberts for his decision to bench Andy Pages. On April 28, 2025, the center-fielder was named the NL Player of the Week for the 5th week of the season after going 13-for-20 and slugging 1.250 with 6 RBI and 4 home runs in that time. Pages also delivered 3 doubles and a home run in a 3-game home series against the Pirates.

What was shocking for Samson was that Pages was replaced by Alex Call. The former MLB president called this move a desperate approach to fix the offense because Call went 0 for 2 with a walk.

If we dig further into the lineup change, we would notice that Roberts’ strategy misfired at the wrong time.

Will Smith went 1 for 4 in Betts’ No. 2 spot and contributed just a ninth-inning single. Mookie Betts’ performance was also a disappointment. He went 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts in the No. 3 spot. Then came slugger Max Muncy, who went 0 for 3. The Dodgers’ lifeline, Shohei Ohtani, also failed to fulfill fans’ expectations. He went 0 for 4 in the leadoff position since dominating the field in the Dodgers’ 18-inning win in Game 3.

Kiké Hernández was the only star in Game 5, hitting a home run, accounting for the only score. And Teoscar Hernández had two hits in four at-bats. However, later he struck out to end the game.

Then came the final remark from Samson, where he pointed out how elite Trey Yesavage was in Game 5.

“Trey Savage was a savage beast. He’s a rookie. He’s a kid. First rookie in postseason history with multiple 10-plus strikeout games. Go listen to Jeremy Tache. He’ll give you 59 stats about what Yesavage did, how epic it was, how historic it was, and the fact that striking out 12 batters without walking someone. It’s just insane what his command was. He’s only a rookie.” 

In the minor league, Yesavage pitched at every level this season, and then he was called up for the Jays in September. In the 7 innings Trey pitched, he allowed only one run with 12 strikeouts on three hits and no walks. Such an elite performance helped the Jays to win Game 5.

This was not the 1st time Yesavage helped the team against the Dodgers, though.

As MLB.com’s Martin Gallegos reported after WS Game 1, “Yesavage managed to dance in and out of danger across four innings enough to keep the Blue Jays within striking distance before their potent offense exploded for a nine-run sixth en route to an 11-4 victory over Los Angeles in Game 1.”

Meanwhile, besides the former Marlins president’s criticism of Dave Roberts, the star of the game himself gave a hilarious reaction.

Trey Yesavage’s reaction after winning Game 5

Before Yesavage, no pitcher had ever struck out more than 10 hitters without walking one in any appearance of the World Series. So, the star had to celebrate the moment.

“I saw something on Instagram that someone took a video of me on my phone saying I was locked in. But I was just doomscrolling on TikTok and Instagram reels.” And then, his teammates had more to add.

“He’s just completely composed,” the Jays’ Chris Bassitt exclaimed. “Like, the moment’s not too big for him, which is crazy for how young he is.” 

What made his outing truly memorable was Yesavage’s unshakable poise.

Speaking to Jeff Passan, he admitted, “I just keep it as chill as possible. I don’t change anything I say to myself — I’m just here to go to work.” Such calmness carried Yesavage through the loudest boos at Dodger Stadium.

Now, the challenge for the Dodgers is that they have to win Game 6 at Toronto to keep their hopes of the Ring alive. But the Jays are not prepared to lose their chance so easily.