Trey Yesavage was pitching the game of his life.
But the Toronto Blue Jays took him out — although not before he put together a masterpiece.
After 11 strikeouts through six innings, Yesavage could’ve been done in Game 5 of the World Series. But Blue Jays manager John Schneider left him in for the seventh, and a double play meant Yesavage got seven innings complete, before going to his bullpen to try and take a 3-2 series lead back to Toronto.
Yesavage got a full dugout’s worth of hugs, signaling his night was over.
He broke a World Series record for a pitcher 22 or younger by adding on and finishing with 12 strikeouts. It had only been done before by a pitcher this young in 1912 when Smoky Joe Wood got 11 Ks in a complete game.
Yesavage didn’t get a chance to go the distance, but for solid reason.
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Why did the Blue Jays pull Trey Yesavage?
The Blue Jays pulled Yesavage in part because of his pitch count, and maybe in part because of what happened in the half inning after he last threw.
He threw 94 pitches in his final start of the regular season. Before Wednesday, his high pitch count in this postseason was 87.
When Yesavage was pulled in Game 5, he had thrown 104 pitches.
Yesavage also had a long delay after he pitched the bottom of the sixth, because the Blue Jays put up a multi-run top of the seventh while forcing a couple pitching changes. The long delay can make it tough to stay warm, so the Blue Jays didn’t take any risks with their phenom.
They left him out there for the seventh, and he gave up an infield hit but eventually escaped with a double play.
That was enough, and Yesavage would get to watch the last two innings from the dugout.
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