Dodgers vs Blue Jays: Game 2 World Series preview after Toronto’s statement win
The World Series opened with a shockwave: Toronto erupted for nine runs in the sixth inning and beat Los Angeles 11–4, seizing a 1–0 series lead and home-field momentum. The offensive avalanche featured a pinch-hit grand slam from Addison Barger—the first pinch-hit slam in Fall Classic history—and a reminder that Toronto’s lineup can flip a game in a heartbeat. For the defending champions, Shohei Ohtani homered, but a bullpen meltdown turned a tight contest into a rout. That context sets the stakes for Game 2 tonight in Toronto.
Dodgers vs Blue Jays Game 2: start time, venue, pitching matchup
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First pitch: 8:00 p.m. ET (5:00 p.m. PT, 1:00 a.m. BST)
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Where: Rogers Centre, Toronto
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Series: Blue Jays lead 1–0
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Probable starters: Yoshinobu Yamamoto (RHP), Dodgers vs Kevin Gausman (RHP), Blue Jays
Yamamoto arrives with a sparkling postseason line and the poise to reset a series. His fastball-splitter combo and strike-throwing efficiency are built to quiet rallies before they start. Across October, he’s limited walks and lived at the bottom of the zone; expect a heavy diet of splitters to neutralize Toronto’s right-handed thump.
Gausman counters with one of baseball’s most consistent out-pitches: a riding four-seamer that climbs above barrels and a signature splitter that tunnels late. His challenge will be first-pitch strikes and finishing at-bats against a Dodgers core that spoils borderline offerings and extends counts.
What Game 1 revealed—and how it shapes Game 2
The sixth-inning script. Los Angeles looked in control until the middle innings, when traffic piled up and the relief chain frayed. Toronto punished mistakes up and down the zone, particularly on elevated heaters and splitters left thigh-high. Game 2 will hinge on whether the Dodgers’ run-prevention machine reasserts its sequencing discipline and whether Yamamoto can carry deeper to shrink the bullpen exposure.
Blue Jays’ approach. Toronto hunted velocity in the damage zones and refused to chase until it found a pitch to drive. The depth was evident—role players delivered impact swings behind the stars. If that patience holds, it forces Los Angeles to land secondary pitches for early strikes or risk more crooked numbers.
Dodgers’ stars vs. Jays’ plan. Ohtani’s opposite-field power showed up immediately, and Mookie Betts set the tone with early contact. Toronto combated traffic with aggressive outfield positioning and quick relays to cap extra bases. Expect more high fastballs to Ohtani and spin away from Betts; how L.A. counters—by jumping early or grinding counts—will set the rhythm.
Key battlegrounds in Dodgers vs Blue Jays Game 2
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First-pitch leverage. Both clubs win when they’re ahead: Yamamoto and Gausman thrive in 0–1 counts. The early strike zone will determine whether hitters can force mistake pitches or must defend with two strikes.
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The splitter duel. Each starter’s signature pitch is a splitter with distinct shapes. Whichever lineup better recognizes the bottom-out will control run creation. Watch for the Dodgers to elevate the ball early in counts to avoid two-strike splitters, and for Toronto to lay off below the knees until forced into swing mode.
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Running game and contact pressure. Toronto’s contact depth turned singles into rallies. Los Angeles needs cleaner first-step reads in the outfield and quicker double-play turns to blunt the Jays’ chain reactions.
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Bullpen reset. After surrendering a nine-spot, the Dodgers must stabilize their middle relief. A longer outing from Yamamoto—and perhaps a streamlined leverage plan—can restore order. Toronto, having conserved high-leverage arms late, holds the fresher pen edge entering Game 2.
X-factors and adjustments
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Dodgers’ bottom third. If L.A. unlocks production from its lower lineup—particularly with situational contact against Gausman’s splitter—the length returns and the Jays can’t simply pitch around the headliners.
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Toronto’s platoon decisions. Matchups around Ohtani and left-handed bats will dictate when the Jays turn to sinker/slider looks out of the pen. Quick hooks are likely with off days dwindling.
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Defensive efficiency. Toronto’s crisp execution in Game 1—cutoffs, positioning, and sure hands—turned potential momentum swings into routine outs. Any slippage there gives the Dodgers extra life.
Dodgers vs Blue Jays schedule (ET / BST)
| Game | Date | Venue | Time (ET) | Time (BST) |
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| 1 | Fri, Oct 24 | Rogers Centre | Final: TOR 11, LAD 4 | — |
| 2 | Sat, Oct 25 | Rogers Centre | 8:00 p.m. | 1:00 a.m. (Oct 26) |
| 3 | Mon, Oct 27 | Dodger Stadium | 8:00 p.m. | 12:00 a.m. (Oct 28) |
| 4 | Tue, Oct 28 | Dodger Stadium | 8:00 p.m. | 12:00 a.m. (Oct 29) |
| 5* | Wed, Oct 29 | Dodger Stadium | 8:00 p.m. | 12:00 a.m. (Oct 30) |
| 6* | Fri, Oct 31 | Rogers Centre | 8:00 p.m. | 12:00 a.m. (Nov 1) |
| 7* | Sat, Nov 1 | Rogers Centre | 8:00 p.m. | 12:00 a.m. (Nov 2) |
*If necessary. Schedule subject to change.
The Dodgers are built to absorb a haymaker, and Yamamoto’s command profile is precisely the antidote to a lineup that just feasted on mistakes. But if the Blue Jays again control the strike zone, win pitch-to-pitch in the sixth through eighth, and keep the ball off the gaps behind Gausman, they can plant a commanding 2–0 flag before the series shifts west. Game 2 isn’t just about evening the ledger—it’s about which identity holds under World Series stress: Los Angeles’ relentless precision or Toronto’s surging depth and timely thunder.
