The Toronto Blue Jays will take on the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1 of the World Series on Friday. Game 1 is set for 8 p.m. in Toronto and the Blue Jays have picked rookie pitcher Trey Yesavage to start. The Dodgers will counter with ace Blake Snell. Members of both teams spoke to reporters as part of the official media day at the World Series. Here’s what they said: 7:14 p.m. – Game 3 and 4 watch parties at Rogers Centre The Toronto Blue Jays have announced that they are hosting watch parties on Monday and Tuesday at the Rogers Centre for Games 3 and 4 The two games will be played in Los Angeles. The Blue Jays said the games will be broadcast on the videoboard. “Fans can expect the energy of a live game, complete with fanfare, free popcorn, ballpark concessions, and access to Jays Shop – all while cheering on the team together in the home of the Toronto Blue Jays,” the team said in a news release on Thursday. Tickets are $15 and will go on sale on Friday at 10 a.m. Proceeds will go to Jays Care Foundation. 6:59 p.m. – Roberts says he loves Toronto “Toronto’s a great city, great people. Canada is a great country. I remember being here with the Indians at the time and having a good series and just playing the Blue Jays. Played here when I was with the Dodgers. Stayed in the hotel room in centre field one time, so that was fun. But, yeah, I have nothing but fond memories,” Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. 6:56 p.m. – David vs. Goliath narrative The media has framed the series as David vs. Goliath and when asked if he feels the Dodgers are the Goliath in the series, the Dodgers manager does not see it that way. “We got really good players, they got really good players. So, the great thing about baseball is anything can happen. It’s going to be a great series. These guys are on a high right now, so we’re expecting a battle,” Roberts said. 6:54 p.m. – Will Kershaw pitch? The Dodgers manager says Clayton Kershaw will be on the roster but can’t commit to if he’ll get the ball. “I would love to get Clayton in there at some point, but I’m going to pitch the best players I feel are the best in that particular moment. So if it happens, that would be great,” Roberts said. 6:49 p.m. – Vesia out The Dodgers have announced that pitcher Alex Vesia will not be playing in Game 1, as he is away with his wife. When asked how they will replace him in the roster, Roberts says the team is in the process of understanding the rules to find a way to navigate Vesia’s absence. Teams have until 10 a.m. on Friday to submit their World Series roster. “We’re going through the process of trying to backfill his spot on the roster,” Roberts said. 6:44 p.m. – Snell on his approach vs Vlad and Springer “I can’t really give too much away. They’re veteran hitters. They know what they’re doing. They know what they’re looking for,” Los Angeles Dodgers Game 1 pitcher Blake Snell said. 6:41 p.m. – Snell on Yesavage Snell says while Blue Jays Game 1 pitcher Trey Yesavage has been doing good in the playoffs, he will face a really good Dodgers lineup. “He had a really good game and a tough one, and a decent one,” the Dodgers pitcher said. “I don’t know him personally, so I don’t know, like, the makeup, but it’s definitely a difficult task for him,” he added. 6:38 p.m. – Snell on Jays lineup Snell, who faced the Blue Jays in August, says Toronto has a lot of confidence going into Game 1 on Friday. “They’re doing a good job of just, like, each at-bat fueling off of each other,” he said. “I mean, they have always been a good lineup. Bat to ball is good. So, yeah, I’m excited for the challenge. 6:15 p.m. – Freeman on being back in Canada Freddie Freeman, who is a dual Canadian-American citizen, recounted what happened at the airport when the team arrived last night. “I had my American passport, and the customs agent goes, ‘Why not your Canadian passport?’ So, it started immediately, when I landed. And then my dad flew in, and we got to the hotel, and we had a kind of like a team meal going on and he looked at all the meal, and he goes, ‘Whoa. This reminds me of when I was younger,’ because it was just meat, potatoes and vegetables. He’s like this feels like Sunday dinner for me,” Freeman said. The Dodgers first baseman said he feels a little closer to his mom, who grew up in the Toronto area. She died when Freeman was 10. “I think that’s why coming back here is so special for me. It just makes me feel like I’m closer to my mom, and she loved everything about Canada,” Freeman said. He shared that they used to go to Blue Jays games when they played the Angels, as well as Maple Leafs games against the Ducks. “She loved everything about this country,” Freeman said. He added: Just anything that was Canadian that was around Southern California felt like we were there. So it’s just little moments, those are the wonderful things that I remember.” When asked if his mom was a big Blue Jays fan. Freeman, with a big smile on his face, said “She was just a big Canada fan.” 6:07 p.m. - Ohtani on Drake and Kendrick When asked what his favourite Kendrick Lamar and Drake songs are, Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani says he is not too knowledgeable about music. Since Drake is from Toronto and Lamar is from Compton, Calif., located south of Los Angeles,the feud between the two rappers is thrust back in the spotlight as their hometowns compete in the World Series. On Monday night, Drake posted on his Instagram story a video of him watching the Jays win the American League pennant. 6:05 p.m. – Ohtani on crowd Ohtani says he expects the Rogers Centre crowd to boo him, and he will use that as a motivation. 6:04 p.m. - Where is the Blue Jays cap? Asked about where the Blue Jays cap is that the team gave him during free agent negotiations, Ohtani says it’s in his garage. Earlier, Jays manager John Schneider jokingly said Ohtani has not returned the items the Blue Jays gave him. “I’ll say it again, I hope he brought his hat, the Blue Jays hat that he took from us in our meeting, I hope he brought it back finally -- and the jacket for decoy, you know, it’s like, give us our stuff back already,” Schneider said. 5:26 p.m. – Ohtani praises Blue Jays organization Ohtani says the Blue Jays is a “superb organization.” “I really had a wonderful time getting to know them as an entire organization, and the impression that I got is like they were very top-class, awesome people,” Ohtani said through his translator when asked about his 2023 meeting with the organization when he was a free agent. He added that he is looking forward to facing the Blue Jays. “It’s an unfortunate reality as a free agent that you get to really pick one team, and I’m sure as a player, you know you want to play with different kinds of teams, different circumstances, but the decision had to be made. But again, you know, this organization has been superb. You have a lot of awesome people,” Ohtani said. 5:20 p.m. – Ohtani on the Jays lineup Ohtani called the Blue Jays lineup “tough,” saying it’s a complete team who can hit and pitch. “I expect a pretty good fight from their side,” Ohtani said through his translator. 4:55 p.m. – Shapiro on PM visit Blue Jays President Mark Shapiro said he told Prime Minister Mark Carney that the organization is proud to help lift Canadian spirits and give people something to cheer about. As for Carney’s prediction that the Jays will win in six games, Mark Shapiro said, “I think the shorter the better.” “Jays in four if we can do it. That’s better for my life expectancy. The shorter we can do it, the better.” 4:54 p.m. – Jays on his advice to players “Our guys don’t need to have anything said to them. They know their jobs. They know what they have to do. They need to just be themselves,” Shapiro said. 4:44 p.m. – Jays president on his team Shapiro said the team is in the World Series because everyone is aligned. “The coolest thing about all of this is that those values and that culture are so evident in the way our players play. They’re so tough and they are so together, like they believe in each other with a level of authenticity and so deeply that it’s just impressive. So, for me, that part of the way they play is so fun to watch them play,” Shapiro told CP24’s Beatrice Vaisman. He said George Springer’s go-ahead three-run home run in Game 7 to propel the Blue Jays to the World Series reminded him why he’s in the sport. “The fact that you can lift communities, you can create memories for parents, for children, grandparents, the grandkids — that a whole generation of Canadians are going to have memories around that last game and George’s homer, and they’ll be talking about it not for like, one or two years, but 10 or 15 years. So, it’s why I’m in the game. You know that bond with my dad and my siblings around the game of baseball, and it’s why you work to provide those memories for others,” he said. 4:38 p.m. - Carney visits Jays Prime Minister Mark Carney says U.S. President Donald Trump hasn’t called him about the upcoming World Series between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Los Angeles Dodgers. “I think he’s afraid to make a bet,” a smiling Carney told reporters while visiting the Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre on Thursday afternoon. “He hasn’t returned my call yet on the bet.” “I’m ready. We’re ready to make a bet with the U.S.,” the prime minister added. Read more here. 4:17 p.m. Varsho on his dad’s reaction to advancing to World Series Daulton Varsho said he’ll be thinking of his father, former MLB player Gary Varsho, during the World Series. Gary was part of the 1991 and 1992 Pittsburgh Pirates, who lost to the Atlanta Braves in the National League Championship Series twice. “It’s going to be an awesome experience. Obviously, you don’t get this very many times in your life. Honestly, I kinda feel for my dad because obviously he got to this point where he got to Game 7 of the championship series and lost, and so obviously for him, I think I’m going to enjoy it for him as well.” Varsho recounted that his dad cried when the Blue Jays advanced to the World Series. “He was very emotional, but it was one of those coolest things where it’s like, well, I kind of fulfilled something that he wasn’t able to kind of do himself.” 3:34 p.m. – Bichette on World Series role While the Blue Jays have not announced that Bichette will be in their World Series roster, the shortstop, who has not played in the postseason due to an injury but has said he’s ready to help his team this time, said he’ll play wherever his manager tells him to. “I believe that I can contribute in any way that I’m asked to. I’ll be ready for any situation, any level,” he said. “I want to be a part of it.” Bichette, who has been asked multiple times during this postseason how hard it is to watch his team from the dugout, said, “Hard is not the word.” “I definitely wanted to be out there, and I wanted to feel like I was contributing on the field. In terms of hard to watch, I’m not sure. I mean, I love this team, I love my teammates. So I mean, just to watch them accomplish something so incredibly special, I don’t think hard is the word.” 3:30 p.m. – Guerrero Jr. on his preparations and Bo Bichette The All-Star first baseman says he feels good ahead of Game 1 of the World Series. “We’ve been doing this for six months, and to me it’s like I’m so proud to be here today with my teammates, and I feel so good, so happy to be here today,” Guerrero Jr. said. When asked about his relationship with Bo Bichette, the ALCS MVP called him his brother. “We’ve got 10 years playing together. We’ve got a lot of ups and downs, a lot of crying, a lot of happiness, but to me, I feel so good to be here today with him. I know he wants the same as we want. It’s to win the game and have fun,” he said. 3:29 p.m. – Guerrero Jr. sends message to Montreal fans “I’m going to say thank you and keep cheering for us because we’re going to try to give it all and we’re going to try to win it all,” the ALCS MVP said. 3:26 p.m. – Davis Schneider on playing in the World Series. Davis Schneider says it feels surreal that he’ll be playing in the World Series. “I don’t really have the words to kind of describe it. It is really cool to be here, but the job’s not finished,” Varsho said. “It is really great to be in the World Series, but our goal is to win it, so no matter what happens here, like I said, our goal is to win it.” 3:22 p.m. – Barger on Blue Jays being called underdogs “I don’t know if we feel like the underdog necessarily a lot. We’re a super popular team,” Addison Barger said, noting that his team won a lot of games in the regular season. “We are the number one seed in the American League during the playoffs. That’s not really underdogs. We’ve done it all year. We’ve won a lot of baseball games. We have the ability to come from behind,” he added. 3:16 p.m. – Lukes on how to beat Dodgers “Scoring more runs than they do,” said Blue Jays outfielder Nathan Lukes when asked what the World Series strategy is. “We just keep going the way that we’re going, putting up tougher bats, making them grind, making them sweat, and just pushing more runs across the plate.” Lukes said at the end of the day, the Dodgers are just another team they have to beat. “It’s another team that we have to play, another team that we have to beat. In order to beat them, we have to be at the top of our game. So it’s not worrying about them, and we’re going to worry about ourselves.” Lukes, who spent most of his career in the minor league, said playing in the World Series makes the grind worth it. “I’m going to make the most out of it.” 2:54 p.m. -Yesavage says Ohtani is a ‘special player’ He’s a special player. He can do damage on both sides of the baseball. But it doesn’t take away from the fact that we are in this situation too, for a reason. So just going out there and being ourselves and and if there’s adjustments that we need to make to try and neutralize him, we’ll make those adjustments," yesavage said. 2:51 p.m. - On being part of Canada’s team, starting Game 1 “We’re this country’s team, so we want to go out there and do everything we can to make this country proud of us,” Yesavage said. “I wake up every single morning and I thank the Lord that I’m here (starting Game 1) in this situation, that he blessed me with this opportunity. And it’s something I never even would have dreamed of this. But I’m here now, and I’m embracing it fully, and I’m so happy to be here. 2:46 p.m. - Yesavage aware of the pressure of Game 1 start “I try to treat it as if it’s not as high pressure, as it is mentally, but I know it’s there. So I think I’ve just developed it over time,” Yesavage said in response to being asked how he handles big moments in the post-season. This is the third high-stakes start for Yesavage, who’s now 2-1 in the playoffs after starting his season in single-A baseball. 2:29 p.m. - Gausman says Canadian baseball fans are ‘crazy’ Pitcher Kevin Gausman was asked how he would describe Canadian baseball fans, now that he’s pitched for and against the Blue Jays throughout his career. “Awesome, passionate, crazy,” he said, recalling his 2013 debut in Toronto with the Baltimore Orioles. “I was here in 2016 when Edwin (Encarnación) ended our season, you know, being in that clubhouse after when the walls were shaking and everybody was pretty upset. That was something I’ll never forget” Blue Jays legend Edwin Encarnacion hit a three-run, walk off home run in extra innings of the 2016 American League Wild Card Game against Baltimore to send the Blue Jays to their second straight ALDS. 2:09 p.m. - ‘Throw strikes’: Scherzer’s advice to Yesavage Veteran pitcher Max Scherzer, who had a standout performance in Toronto’s 8-2 ALCS Game 4 win, was asked what advice he had for Yesavage in Game 1, specifically throwing to superstar Shohei Ohtani. “Enjoy it,“ Scherzer said emphatically. ”If you want to be the best, you got to be the best. You know, he’s obviously one of the best, best in the world. You got to believe you’re better. So, you know, go out there and compete." Asked what kind of pitches Yesavage should aim to throw the two-way player, Scherzer said bluntly: “Strikes. Can’t throw balls, otherwise you walk them. So you got to throw strikes.” 1:58 p.m. - ‘I’ll be good’: Springer on his knee George Springer was asked about his knee following Game 5, when he was hit with a pitch and forced to leave the match. “I’ll be good. I’ll be good. Yeah,” he said assuredly on Thursday. 1:53 p.m. - Toronto is an ‘unbelievable place to play’ Springer, who won a World Series ring with the Houston Astros in 2017, was asked if he thinks Toronto’s success this year will attract other big names to sign north of the border. “I hope so,” he said. This is an unbelievable place to play. And when we walk out there every day, you see our fans. We see how the fans respond. You know, they show up every day and on the road as well. It’s so much fun to play here." 1:51 p.m. - ‘The stuff that Ohtani does is just not human’: Springer Springer spoke about his mindset heading into Game 1 and playing against Ohtani. “The stuff that Ohtani can do is, it’s just not human. It’s so hard to do what he does. And, you know, he does both, and he does both at above the elite level, which is unheard of as a player when you kind of watch it...I don’t understand how he can do it,” he said of the two-way player. Springer hit the go-ahead, three-run homerun in ALCS Game 7 to push the Blue Jays to the World Series on Monday. 1:40 p.m. - Louis Varland is ‘in the float tank with cucumbers in his eyes’ “I think he’s been in the float tank with cucumbers in his eyes, getting a foot rub,” Schneider said with a laugh. “These were good off days for him. I think that Louis is a unique guy to where he is not going to back down from a challenge. He knows how we’re going to be asking him to be used again. What he did, you know, so far, 10 out of 11 games being in, is remarkable. So these off days have been good for him. He hasn’t gotten off the mound, I can tell you that. So he’ll be ready.” 1:38 p.m. - Schneider on Ohtani: ‘Give us our stuff back already’ The Blue Jays manager was asked about how close the Blue Jays were in getting Shohei Ohtani in 2023 and recounted that the organization “felt good” when they met with him, especially the feedback he gave. “But you never really know what a player’s feeling in free agency, and there’s a lot of things that have to line up for them personally, too,” Schneider said. He noted that the he cannot dwell with the what if. Schnieder quipped that Ohtani has not returned the merch the team gave him “I’ll say it again, I hope he brought his hat, the Blue Jays hat that he took from us in our meeting, I hope he brought it back finally -- and the jacket for decoy, you know, it’s like, give us our stuff back already,” the Jays manager said. Schneider said while Ohtani is a great player, the Blue Jays have a great group of players in the World Series. “I think that we have a great team and just an unbelievable cast of characters and players. I think things worked out the way they’re meant to work out,” he said. 1:37 p.m. - Yesavage will pitch in Game 1, Schneider says “I can share that Trey Yesavage will pitch Game 1, and we will announce Game 2, probably a little bit later today, and I’m sure I’ll talk to you guys again at some point today or tomorrow. We’ll go from there,” Schneider said. 1:35 p.m. - ‘I’m really excited about this’: Schneider “I’m really excited about this but I’m just as excited for guys that I’ve known for a long time, for Bo (Bichette) for Vlad (Guerrero Jr.) for guys that have been here for numerous years. It’s just really cool for the organization, and I’m just thankful and humbled that I’m the one doing it, leading them into the into the World Series,” Schneider said. 1:30 p.m. - Bichette ‘feeling good’ “He’s feeling good, which is nice. So a few more boxes to check...We’ll see...Just kind of have to talk to him after the workout today, see how comfortable he felt doing everything and make the best decision,” Schneider said. Bichette missed the last three weeks of the regular season with a knee sprain and was left off the ALDS and ALCS lineups. He has said he’ll be “ready” for the World Series. The 27-year-old finished the season with 181 hits, tied for the second-most in baseball. This is a developing story. More to come...
