Trey Yesavage went 2-1 in three postseason starts with a 4.20 ERA and 22 strikeouts over 15 innings. Vaughn Ridley / Getty Images
Trey Yesavage’s rapid rise continues, as the Toronto Blue Jays announced Thursday that he would start Game 1 of the World Series Friday night at Rogers Centre. He’ll be the first rookie to start Game 1 of the Fall Classic since Justin Verlander and Anthony Reyes did it in Game 1 of the 2006 World Series for the Detroit Tigers and St. Louis Cardinals, respectively.
The 22-year-old rookie is doing it with much less big-league experience, however. Yesavage has as many regular-season starts (three) as he has made this postseason, after the Blue Jays called him up from Triple-A Buffalo in mid-September.
His first postseason start, against the New York Yankees in Game 2 of the American League Division Series, was a masterpiece that included 11 strikeouts over 5 1/3 scoreless and hitless innings. Yesavage didn’t fare as well in Game 2 of the ALCS; he took the loss after the Seattle Mariners tagged him for five earned runs in four innings. But he bounced back in a big way in a must-win Game 6 for Toronto with seven strikeouts and two earned runs allowed over 5 2/3 innings.
All of this comes just a little over a year after Toronto drafted Yesavage with the No. 20 pick out of East Carolina in 2024. He soared through four minor-league levels in his first year of professional ball before becoming an impact starter for the Blue Jays over the past month-plus.
Now he’ll fill the biggest role of his young career, made necessary when Blue Jays ace Kevin Gausman pitched around three walks to give Toronto a scoreless inning in relief during their Game 7 victory Monday to clinch the team’s first World Series berth since 1993.
Oct 23, 2025
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