Trey Yesavage thrilled for Game 1 start versus Dodgers: ‘It’s something I never even would have dreamed of’

After learning of the news on Wednesday, Yesavage stood up and hugged both manager John Schneider and pitching coach Pete Walker, then started preparing for the next biggest start of his young career.

“It’s something I never even would have dreamed of, but I’m here now and I’m embracing it fully and I’m so happy to be here,” Yesavage said during Thursday’s Media Day at Rogers Centre.

Most players at this age don’t usually receive opportunities like this. But Yesavage isn’t your traditional 22-year-old pitcher, although he’s already proven that countless times this season. Any time you listen to him speak, you can instantly gather just how mature he is beyond his years.

And that’s what you’d likely expect from someone who climbed four minor-league levels and is about to pitch on the biggest stage of his life — all in the same season.

But facing this stacked Dodgers lineup will undoubtedly be the toughest assignment that Yesavage has faced thus far. He’ll be tested against some of the best hitters this sport has to offer, and it’ll all start in the top of the first inning, with the always-dangerous leadoff hitter Shohei Ohtani.

“He’s [a] special player. He can do damage on both sides of the baseball,” Yesavage said on the challenge of facing Ohtani. “But it doesn’t take away the fact that we are in this situation too for a reason. So just going out there and being ourselves and if there’s adjustments that we need to make to try to neutralize him, we’ll make those adjustments.”

Ohtani, of course, won’t be the only threat that Yesavage will have to game plan around while facing Los Angeles’ offence, which also includes the likes of Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman (last year’s World Series MVP), Will Smith, Max Muncy and old friend Teoscar Hernández.

Statistically, the Dodgers have featured the second-best offence in baseball this post-season, with their 113 wRC+ (100 league average) trailing only the Blue Jays’ MLB-leading 143. And that’s without Toronto having the services of Bo Bichette, who will be available for the World Series after being added to the club’s roster ahead of Friday’s 10 a.m. ET deadline.

Yesavage will have his work cut out for him in Game 1. But, considering the Dodgers — like many teams — have yet to face him, the right-hander’s unique mechanics should still give him the upper hand. Given how many left-handed batters he’ll likely face, his nose-diving splitter should also help him set the tone, particularly his first time through the order.

When Yesavage made his pro debut with single-A Dunedin in front of fewer than 500 fans on Apr. 8, nobody could’ve imagined that he’d be starting Game 1 of the World Series just over six months later. But now that he’s here, this is his chance to craft the next chapter of what’s been a storybook rookie campaign — one that rival teams will surely attempt to replicate in future seasons.