Trey Yesavage’s meteoric rise: From Class-A to World Series hero in 1 season

In April, Trey Yesavage was pitching in front of a few hundred fans in Florida for the Blue Jays’ Single-A affiliate in Dunedin. Six months later, he was standing on the mound at Dodger Stadium, silencing more than 50,000 with a performance that etched his name into baseball history.

The 22-year-old rookie right-hander delivered a 12-strikeout, no-walk masterpiece in Game 5 of the World Series, leading the Toronto Blue Jays to a 6-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers. The win pushed Toronto to the brink of its first championship in 32 years, a feat few could have imagined when Yesavage began his season in the lowest rung of the minors.

“Yeah, it’s a crazy world,” Yesavage told Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi following Game 5. “Hollywood couldn’t have made it this good. Just being a part of this, I’m just very blessed.”

Yesavage’s journey to this moment is as improbable as it is inspiring. Drafted 20th overall in 2024, the East Carolina University product entered 2025 as a promising but untested arm. What followed was a whirlwind tour of the Blue Jays’ farm system:

• Single-A Dunedin in April
• High-A Vancouver in May
• Double-A New Hampshire in June
• Triple-A Buffalo in August
• Toronto Blue Jays in September

Across those four minor-league stops, Yesavage logged 97.9 innings, showing flashes of dominance but also the rawness of a pitcher still learning his craft.

His call-up to the majors in September brought three regular-season starts and 14 innings, enough to hint at his potential but hardly a preview of what was to come.

Yesavage’s Fall Classic story

Then came October. Thrust into the playoff rotation, Yesavage has been nothing short of sensational. In five postseason starts, including two in the World Series, he has now thrown 26 innings, striking out hitters at a historic pace while showing poise beyond his years.

In his first-ever postseason start, preceded by the bold proclamation that he was “built for this,” Yesavage dominated Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees en route to a masterful 11-strikeout shutout in Game 2 of the ALDS. He was tasked with handling the Seattle Mariners not once but twice in the ALCS, including a Game 6, win-or-go-home start. He’d strike out seven across 5.2 innings, keeping Toronto’s World Series hopes alive.

Finally, it’s been Goliath and the Dodgers. Two World Series starts for the 22-year-old, two victories, 17 combined strikeouts and only three earned runs.

“The fans were saying, I’m going to give up home runs, I’m only going to last an inning or two,” the rookie told Sportsnet during an interview inside the Blue Jays clubhouse. “I just used it to fuel the fire. I was like, ‘This is so much fun. Everybody hates me, and I have to go out here and prove them wrong.”

Yesavage’s Game 5 start will be remembered forever

His Game 5 outing against the Dodgers was particularly remarkable: seven innings, three hits, one run, 12 strikeouts, and no walks. The performance broke a rookie strikeout record in the World Series. It underscored how rare it is for a pitcher with so little major-league experience to dominate on baseball’s biggest stage.

The seven innings for Yesavage marked his longest outing of the season, topping the six he worked for low-A Dunedin versus Clearwater on May 1. The 104 pitches he threw marked another season high, surpassing the 94 he threw Sept. 27 against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Few rookies in modern baseball have travelled such a path in a single season — from Class-A to the World Series rotation. Typically, pitchers spend years climbing the ladder, refining their mechanics and building endurance.

“I don’t think anybody would have necessarily believed that,” Blue Jays pitching coach Pete Walker said. “There’s usually a little bit of a transition, and he has just poured himself into the role. He’s taken on the weight of the world in some ways because of the pressure that could possibly be on someone at this point. And he has handled it all so well. He just knows what he needs to do and trusts his stuff.”

One win away from a World Series title

For a franchise long searching for October heroes, the 22-year-old Yesavage has emerged as the face of Toronto’s improbable run. His calm demeanour, electric fastball, and devastating splitter have given the Blue Jays a weapon they didn’t expect to have this soon.

“How he was able to make Game 5 of the World Series, mentally, look like any other day,” Blue Jays veteran pitcher Chris Bassitt told ESPN’s Jeff Passan. “It could’ve been May. You couldn’t tell. He’s just calm, and he’s got wholehearted belief in himself.”

So many important and unlikely storylines emerged from Toronto’s magical season, from role players finding their niche to George Springer’s renaissance campaign to Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. leading the charge. But Yesavage’s entry is something the sport has never seen before.

“If I were a Dodgers fan, I would try to rattle him, too,” Bassitt told Passan. “Given the fact that he is 22 [and] the fact that he barely has pitched on the road. Given the fact that this is the World Series. I’d be talking s—. But the reality is, I don’t think many people realize it doesn’t faze him. He’s like, just wait until I get on the mound. I’ll show you.”

With Toronto just one win away from its first World Series title since 1993, Yesavage’s story has become emblematic of the team’s resilience and belief. From Dunedin to Dodger Stadium, his rise has mirrored the Blue Jays’ own climb back to relevance.

With files from Sportsnet and ESPN