Blue Jays Rally Late, Rookie Closer Seals Wild Win Over Dodgers
It was one of those games where you could feel the tension building inning by inning — and then everything seemed to happen at once. The Toronto Blue Jays, desperate to avoid a sweep in Los Angeles, pulled off a dramatic 5-4 win over the Dodgers, and it took power, grit, and a rookie’s nerves of steel to get it done.
Things didn’t start well for Toronto. Shohei Ohtani wasted no time, crushing his 41st homer of the season on the game’s fourth pitch, and Freddie Freeman followed with one of his own before the first inning was over. Tyler Glasnow was sharp on the mound for L.A., holding the Jays to just two runs into the sixth. The Dodgers looked in control, and the Blue Jays’ bats seemed stuck in neutral for much of the game.
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But in the eighth inning, everything flipped. Down 3-2, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. stepped up and unloaded a 422-foot missile to tie the game. On the very next pitch, rookie Addison Barger launched a go-ahead homer, sending the Toronto dugout into a frenzy. That momentum carried right into the ninth when Ernie Clement, who’s been on a blistering hot streak, crushed the first pitch he saw from Alex Vesia deep into the left-field bleachers. Three homers in the final two innings — suddenly Toronto was in command.
Except, not for long. Closer Jeff Hoffman ran into serious trouble in the bottom of the ninth, walking three of the first four batters and even walking in the tying run in the eighth. With the bases loaded, one out, and Ohtani striding to the plate, manager John Schneider made the call — rookie Mason Fluharty was coming in. Not exactly the situation most pitchers dream of for their first career save opportunity.
What happened next will likely be talked about for years in Toronto. Fluharty worked Ohtani to a full count before freezing him with a perfect breaking ball for strike three. Then, with the entire stadium on edge, he got Mookie Betts to roll into a game-ending grounder. Just like that, the Blue Jays had survived.
It wasn’t just a win — it was historic. Fluharty became the first pitcher since Hall of Famer Trevor Hoffman in 2002 to record a save by retiring two former MVPs with the bases loaded. The Blue Jays used 20 players in total, a true all-hands effort, and it pushed them to the best record in the American League at 69-50.
For Toronto, this was more than just stealing a game from the defending champs. It was proof they can hang with anyone, even in the loudest, most pressure-packed moments. And for Fluharty, it was a career moment — the kind that turns a rookie into a clubhouse legend overnight.
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