Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider rebutted Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Blake Snell’s claims after Game 5 of the World Series, where said he was “unlucky” on the mound.
Snell allowed five earned runs in the game, marking the second consecutive start in which he had done so. He quickly found himself in a hole, allowing two solo home runs through his first three pitches.
A Dalton Varsho triple and an Ernie Clement sacrifice fly gave the Blue Jays their third run of the game, and two runners crossed in the top of the seventh inning after reaching base on Snell’s watch.
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“I mean, they didn’t really get to me,” Snell said after Game 5. “First pitch of the game, 97 fastball up and in, he hits it 98 it goes out, pretty unlucky. Vlad, that’s just a bad pitch. Down in fastball, but then after that pretty smooth sailing. Figured out their lineup, what they like to do. Then Varsho gets a triple on 78 exit velo, it’s just unlucky.
“I’m not one to make excuses or anything close to that, but just pretty unlucky. There’s only so much you can do.
“…Vlad, good hitter. [Davis] Schneider, he hit it one mile an hour faster than I threw it, good location. Varsho triple, curveball, capped. Luck plays in baseball too.”
John Schneider backed his players upon when asked about Snell’s reaction to the game.
“No,” John Schneider said when asked if he had a reaction to Snell’s comments. “I thought [Davis Schneider] does what he is good at, Vladimir is one of the best players in the game, and I thought we really made him work. He’s a great pitcher. I’m worried about tomorrow, Game 6 here. Yamamoto’s an even tougher task. So we led the league in hitting this year. I don’t think we’re too bad.”
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The Dodgers need to find a way to kickstart their offense in Game 6, as they have scored just three runs over their last two games. The Dodgers face elimination in Game 6, and look to force a seventh game behind Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who has been exceptional this postseason.
They’ll look to even up the series on the road on Friday at 5:00 p.m. PT.
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