Whether you’re watching from your living room or in the middle of the crowd at the Rogers Centre, it’s hard not to be swept up in this World Series. It’s been a tumultuous and thrilling ride so far, with two teams trading blows in every way possible. Here are a few of the highlights.
Freddie Freeman delivered again. After the World Series went into a marathon 18th inning Monday, the Atlanta Braves’ slugger hit a walk-off grand slam to win Game 3. It was the first time in MLB history that back-to-back home runs ended a World Series.
The Blue Jays and Dodgers both used their bullpens extensively in Game 3 but it was the Toronto bullpen that got the most work. Tyler Glasnow threw 4 1/3 innings of scoreless relief while Justin Smoak and Clayton Kershaw each tossed two.
It was the first time in baseball history that a World Series featured an expansion team (the Mets) and a non-American team (the Blue Jays). But the most significant milestone of all came when the World Series was played outside of the United States for the first time.
The city of Yellowknife, which has a population of just 30,000, turned into a virtual baseball stadium for the evening as fans streamed in by the thousands to watch Canada’s only MLB franchise. Though there wasn’t much Blue Jays paraphernalia on display, the crowd — which was comprised of “miners and pilots, government workers and teachers” — was loud, proud and very pro-Jays.