Overview
- Roberts confirmed the contingency plan was down to Yamamoto or Rojas for a 19th inning, with Hyeseong Kim ready to cover Rojas’s infield spot.
- Yamamoto had thrown a 105-pitch complete game in Game 2 and was seen loosening in the 17th and 18th as Los Angeles weighed the short-rest risk.
- Rookie Will Klein delivered four scoreless relief innings late, stabilizing a depleted bullpen and buying time until Freddie Freeman’s decisive swing.
- The scenario would have been unprecedented, as no team has ever used a position player to pitch a 19th or 20th inning in a World Series game.
- Blue Jays manager John Schneider said he would have turned to Game 4 starter Shane Bieber for a 19th inning, with Game 1 starter Trey Yesavage next in line.