The Toronto Blue Jays drew first blood in the World Series with a thrilling 11-4 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
In Game 1 at Rogers Centre on Friday night, Toronto took control in the sixth inning when – with the game tied at 2-2 – they scored nine runs including a historic grand slam from Addison Barger.
Shohei Ohtani scored his first ever World Series homer as the Dodgers threatened a miraculous comeback.
But Dave Roberts’ team – without pitcher Alex Vesia due to a ‘deeply personal family matter’ – fell 1-0 down in the series.
Blue Jays outfielder Barger launched the first pinch-hit grand slam in World Series history on Friday night.
Batting for Davis Schneider against left-hander Anthony Banda, Barger drilled a 2-1 slider 413ft to right-center – his third home run this postseason.
The Toronto Blue Jays took the lead in the World Series after beating the Dodgers on Friday
Barger´s drive was the first postseason grand slam in Toronto history, and the big blow in a nine-run sixth inning that gave the Blue Jays an 11-2 lead over the defending World Series champions.
Alejandro Kirk added a two-run homer later in the sixth for Toronto.
It marked the third-biggest inning in World Series history. The Philadelphia Athletics scored 10 runs in the seventh against the Chicago Cubs in Game 4 in 1929, and the Detroit Tigers matched that total in the third inning of Game 6 against the St. Louis Cardinals in 1968.
Toronto is in the World Series for the first time since winning the second of back-to-back titles in 1993.
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