For all the analytics, scouting reports, and data-driven planning that define modern baseball, October always finds a way to remind everyone — this game can’t be scripted.

That lesson came through loud and clear in Game 2 of the World Series, where the Los Angeles Dodgers evened things up with a 5–1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays. Two late solo home runs — by Will Smith and Max Muncy — cracked open what had been a tense duel between Kevin Gausman and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, handing the Dodgers new life as the series shifts to Los Angeles.

“You can’t make baseball into an equation,” said Max Scherzer, the veteran set to start Game 3 for Toronto. “You’ve got to go out there, feel the moment, and make a play.”

Through six innings, Gausman and Yamamoto were locked in a classic pitchers’ standoff — every pitch a gamble, every mistake magnified. The difference came in the seventh, when Gausman’s only two misfires left the yard.

🔥 Yamamoto’s Masterclass

Yamamoto’s performance was nothing short of historic. His second consecutive postseason complete game — something no pitcher had done since Curt Schilling in 2001 — silenced a Rogers Centre crowd that had roared all night. His fastball averaged 96 mph, his splitter vanished from the zone, and his looping curveball froze hitters in disbelief.

“He’s earned that right,” said Gausman. “You’ve got to give credit where credit’s due — he’s a really good pitcher.”

Toronto managed just four hits, their lone run coming from an Alejandro Kirk sacrifice fly in the third. Still, Kirk remained upbeat:

“He did a good job… but I think we’re going to have better results next time we face him.”

💪 Blue Jays Still in Control

Despite the setback, Toronto heads to Los Angeles tied 1–1 — a series position that history suggests isn’t bad at all. Of the 64 times the World Series has been tied after two games, the Game 3 winner has gone on to win the title 42 times.

That chance now falls to Scherzer, who faces Tyler Glasnow in what’s shaping up to be a defining matchup.

“We know what we’re capable of doing,” said Nathan Lukes, whose first-inning single was one of Toronto’s few offensive sparks. “Just put it behind us and go into Monday.”

🇨🇦 Canada’s Team, Canada’s Moment

The sold-out Rogers Centre crowd of 44,607 stayed electric from first pitch, even serenading Shohei Ohtani with chants of “We don’t need you!” Commissioner Rob Manfred praised the atmosphere, saying the Blue Jays have done a “phenomenal job” growing the game across Canada.

The energy is undeniable — and so is the sense that Toronto’s run isn’t close to done.

“We didn’t have the results,” said Kirk. “But we fought.”

That might be the truest statement of October. The series now heads west, and with Scherzer on the mound and Toronto’s offense ready to reset, the Jays remain right where they need to be: in the fight, with everything still to play for.