Dodgers beat Blue Jays 5-1 in World Series Game 2
REWIND. SUCH AN EXCITING CONVERSATION. UW-MILWAUKEE ALUM HEADING TO THE WORLD SERIES. TAYLOR, I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU CAN HEAR US AND THAT YOU’RE JOINING US. I WANT TO START WITH YOU BECAUSE YOUR BROTHER, FOR THE FIRST TIME IS ABOUT TO PLAY IN THE WORLD SERIES FOR THAT TITLE. I GOT TO ASK YOU, HOW IS HE FEELING RIGHT NOW? HOW IS HE DOING? WHAT ARE THOSE CONVERSATIONS LIKE? YEAH, I THINK JUST BEING A HOMETOWN FROM WISCONSIN, WISCONSIN NATIVE AND, YOU KNOW, IT, IT’S EXCITING FOR HIM TO BE IN THE SITUATION AND FOR HIS FAMILY TO SUPPORT HIM THROUGH THE PROCESS AND JUST ENJOY THE MOMENT. WHATEVER HAPPENS IN THE SERIES AT THIS POINT, I THINK IS REALLY EXCITING. I THINK JUST GETTING THERE IS IS HALF THE BATTLE, BUT IT’S ALL IT’S ALL THE LITTLE STEPS THAT I’VE TAKEN, THAT HE’S TAKEN TO GET THERE AND HOW MUCH HARD WORK HE DOES OUTSIDE OF THE BASEBALL SEASON AND WHAT HAPPENS BEHIND CLOSED DOORS. SO REALLY PROUD OF HIM. AND OBVIOUSLY IF YOU’VE BEEN FOLLOWING THE BLUE JAYS, YOU KNOW HE HAD A ROUGH START TO THE YEAR. DIDN’T COME BACK RIGHT AWAY. BUT YOU KNOW AND THEN PULLED HIS HAMSTRING HALFWAY THROUGH THE YEAR. SO HE’S BEEN UP AND DOWN AND KIND OF LIVED THE REHAB LIFE A LITTLE BIT. BUT REALLY PROUD OF OF HIM AND CAN’T WAIT TO SEE HIM EXECUTE HERE IN THE WORLD SERIES THIS FRIDAY. YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. AND WE KNOW HOW MUCH THAT EMOTIONAL SUPPORT FROM HOME GOES AS WELL WHEN DEALING WITH POSTSEASON BASEBALL. COACH, I HAVE TO ASK YOU, LET’S TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT IT TAKES TO BE ONE OF THE FINAL TWO TEAMS THAT ARE LEFT IN POSTSEASON BASEBALL. WE KNOW VARSHA WILL BECOME THE FIRST UW ALUM TO APPEAR IN THE WORLD SERIES. SO WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO GET TO THAT LEVEL, ESPECIALLY WHEN TALKING ABOUT BASEBALL THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU JUST NEVER KNOW WHAT CAN HAPPEN? YEAH, OBVIOUSLY IT TAKES TALENT. YOU HAVE TO HAVE TALENT TO GET TO THAT LEVEL. BUT IT’S A DRIVE. IT’S A WORK ETHIC. IT’S THE ABILITY TO BE CONSISTENT IS WHAT IT COMES DOWN TO. THE BIG LEAGUERS ARE THE BEST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD AT DOING IT OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN, AND NEVER REALLY RESTING ON THEIR FAILURES. SO THAT’S WHAT’S BEEN FUN TO WATCH WITH DAULTON IS HIS MATURITY, HIS GROWTH. NOW, HIS CONSISTENCY IN BECOMING ONE OF THE BEST BASEBALL PLAYERS IN THE WORLD. ABSOLUTELY. I WANTED TO ASK AS WELL, WHAT HAVE YOU NOTICED THAT HE HAS TAKEN THROUGHOUT HIS CAREER FROM UW ALL THE WAY TO THE MLB? YEAH, I THINK DALTON’S ALWAYS KIND OF BEEN AN UNDERDOG AND HE’S HAD TO FIGHT FOR WHAT HE’S ABOUT TO RECEIVE. SO HE TAKES THAT SAME PERSONALITY INTO THE OUTFIELD, INTO HIS AT BATS. HE’S A TOUGH OUT. HE DOES DAMAGE WHEN IT CALLS FOR IT, BUT HE’S JUST A REALLY GOOD TEAMMATE AND A GOOD TEAM PLAYER. AND AS A GOLD GLOVE CENTER FIELDER, HE PROVIDES FOR HIS TEAM EVEN WHEN HE’S NOT DOING WELL OFFENSIVELY. AND LAST TIME YOU WERE HERE IN STUDIO, WE WERE TALKING ABOUT ONE OF HIS UNBELIEVABLE CATCHES. BUT I WANT YOU ALL TO TAKE A LOOK AT THIS INSANE CATCH FROM GAME TWO AGAINST SEATTLE. LET’S GO AHEAD AND PLAY THAT MOMENT. POSTSEASON ON A LINE TO CENTER FIELD. VARSHO BACK AT FIRST, COMES ON DIVES AND MAKES THE CATCH. OH MAN. HE SAVED HIMSELF AFTER GOING THE WRONG DIRECTION WITH THE FIRST STEP. TAYLOR, I HAVE TO GET YOUR REACTION FIRST. WHAT DID IT FEEL LIKE SEEING THAT CATCH? WELL, I’LL BE HONEST, I THINK THE FIRST ONE THAT HE CAME BACK HIS FIRST GAME, WHERE HE CAUGHT IT BEHIND HIS BACK, THAT WAS A LITTLE BIT MORE, YOU KNOW, KIND OF MISSTEPPED A LITTLE BIT. I DID ASK HIM A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT, AND I THINK IT WAS THE WHITE RALLY TOWELS THAT THEY HAD. HE COULDN’T REALLY READ IT OFF THE OFF THE BAT. BUT, YOU KNOW, SO HE MAKES ADJUSTMENTS. HE’S A GREAT OUTFIELDER OBVIOUSLY. GOLD GLOVE WINNER LAST YEAR. AND YOU KNOW I’M I’M PROUD OF TO SAY THAT AS A SISTER. AND I KNOW HIS FAMILY IS ROOTING FOR HIM EITHER EVEN BACK HOME HERE IN WISCONSIN. COACH CAN YOU PRACTICE FOR A MOMENT LIKE THAT? I KNOW YOU CAN’T. I MEAN, YOU CAN YOU CAN SHAG AS MANY BALLS AND BP AS YOU WANT. AND IT’S GUYS ARE LOOKING FOR THOSE OPPORTUNITIES. BUT TO DO THAT LIVE IS PRETTY SPECIAL. ABSOLUTELY. WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO THIS SERIES THAT WE’RE WALKING INTO, WHAT DO YOU THINK NEEDS TO BE THE MENTALITY FOR DALTON AND THE REST OF THE BLUE JAYS? YEAH, YOU’RE TAKING ON A $500 MILLION PAYROLL SO THEY KNOW THAT THERE’S REALLY GOOD PLAYERS ON THE OTHER SIDE, AND THEY’RE PAID TO DO THAT. SO THEY JUST GOT TO STAY TRUE TO WHO THEY ARE AND PLAY THE BEST VERSION OF BASEBALL THAT THEY CAN AND STICK TO WHO THEY’VE BEEN ALL THE WAY ALONG. DON’T CHANGE ANYTHING ABOUT IT. ABSOLUTELY. TAYLOR AND COACH, I WANTED TO ASK YOU GUYS THIS FINAL QUESTION. WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO BASEBALL, WE KNOW IT’S A LITTLE BIT SUPERSTITIOUS. DO YOU HAVE ANY RITUALS, TAYLOR, THAT YOU OR YOUR FAMILY DO BEFORE WATCHING A GAME? NO, I’M JUST GOING WITH THE FRESH MIND. BASEBALL IS A HARD ENOUGH GAME ON YOURSELF. AND YOU KNOW, IF YOU DWELL ON THE LAST AT BAT OR THE LAST PLAY, IT’S PROBABLY GOING TO CARRY OVER TO THAT NEXT AT BAT. SO, YOU KNOW, JUST GOING TO FRESH MIND LIKE MY DAD ALWAYS SAYS, AND MY MOM ALWAYS SAYS TOO. IT’S LIKE, JUST JUST ENJOY THE MOMENT. AND IT’S GOING TO BE EXCITING. BUT TAKE IT ALL IN. THERE’S GOING TO BE A LOT OF PEOPLE ROOTING FOR YOU. AND WHETHER THEY’RE IN THE STANDS OR WATCHING IT ON TV, JUST KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, HE’S A HE’S A GREAT PLAYER REGARDLESS OF THE RESULTS. ABSOLUTELY. WHAT ABOUT YOU, COACH? NO, I TRY TO GET MY KIDS IN BED SO I CAN WATCH THE GAME. YEAH, EXACTLY. WATCH IT IN SILENCE. YEAH, I JUST I JUST WANT OUR GUYS TO REALLY WATCH THE GAME AND LEARN FROM THE GAME AND NOT JUST BE A FAN, BUT REALLY BE A STUDENT OF THE GAME AND KIND OF WATCH WHAT MAKES THEM THE ELITE PLAYERS. ABSOLUTELY. WELL, WE’VE BEEN WATCHING DALTON’S JOURNEY EVER SINCE HE MADE IT INTO THE BIG LEAGUES. SO DEFINITELY THANK YOU BOTH FOR BEING HERE. GOOD LUCK TO DALTON, TO YOUR BROTHER AND TO YOUR FORMER ATHLETE, IF YOU WILL. WE KNOW THAT HE’S BEEN REPPING KWIK TRIP. WE SAW HIM WALKING IN WITH THE KWIK TRIP SHIRT. SO HE HAS HOME VERY CLOSE TO HIS HEART. TAYL
Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched a four-hitter for his second consecutive complete game, the first in the World Series since 2015, and the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Toronto Blue Jays 5-1 on Saturday night to tie their best-of-seven matchup at one game apiece.Coming off a three-hitter against Milwaukee in the National League Championship Series, which was the first postseason complete game since 2017, Yamamoto retired his final 20 batters in the first complete game in the Series since Kansas City’s Johnny Cueto against the New York Mets in Game 2 of 2015.Video above: Wisconsin native Daulton Varsho heading to World SeriesNo pitcher had thrown consecutive complete games in the postseason since Arizona ace Curt Schilling, who tossed three in a row in the 2001 NL Division Series and NLCS.Will Smith had three RBIs for the Dodgers, breaking a 1-all tie with a seventh-inning home run off Kevin Gausman, who had retired 17 batters in a row. Max Muncy added another solo homer later in the inning.
TORONTO —
Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched a four-hitter for his second consecutive complete game, the first in the World Series since 2015, and the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Toronto Blue Jays 5-1 on Saturday night to tie their best-of-seven matchup at one game apiece.
Coming off a three-hitter against Milwaukee in the National League Championship Series, which was the first postseason complete game since 2017, Yamamoto retired his final 20 batters in the first complete game in the Series since Kansas City’s Johnny Cueto against the New York Mets in Game 2 of 2015.
Video above: Wisconsin native Daulton Varsho heading to World Series
No pitcher had thrown consecutive complete games in the postseason since Arizona ace Curt Schilling, who tossed three in a row in the 2001 NL Division Series and NLCS.
Will Smith had three RBIs for the Dodgers, breaking a 1-all tie with a seventh-inning home run off Kevin Gausman, who had retired 17 batters in a row. Max Muncy added another solo homer later in the inning.