Barger's Grand Slam Highlights Historic Night

By: Brian Frank

In the first World Series game played in Toronto in 32 years, former Bisons star Addison Barger provided the big blast on a historic night for the Blue Jays. Barger belted a grand slam in a nine-run sixth inning that helped propel Toronto to an 11–4 Game 1 victory over the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

The game entered the bottom of the sixth inning in a 2–2 tie, thanks to Daulton Varsho's two-run home run in the fourth inning. Bo Bichette, playing in his first game since injuring his knee on September 6, drew a walk off Dodgers starter Blake Snell to spark the big sixth-inning rally. After Alejandro Kirk singled and Varsho was hit by a pitch, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts replaced Snell with right-hander Emmett Sheehan. Then the floodgates opened.

Ernie Clement continued the rally with an RBI single up the middle, pinch-hitter Nathan Lukes drew an eight-pitch walk to force home another run, and Andrés Giménez singled home the third run of the inning. After George Springer grounded into a force out at home, Blue Jays manager John Schneider decided to pinch-hit the left-handed swinging Barger for the right-handed Davis Schneider.

Barger speaks with the media postgame. Photo Credit: Brian Frank, The Herd Chronicles

“I'm trying to force a lefty there,” Schneider said. “It's one out, you trust Barg to have a good approach to hopefully hit a sac fly — and then you get Vladdy against Banda.”

Barger was ready to meet the moment.

“They had been talking to me for the last inning or so to get ready, you might come in,” Barger said. “Yeah, they kind of told me when Davis was in the hole, ‘You're going to hit here.’ And then…”

Roberts made the switch that Schneider was expecting, replacing right-hander Sheehan with left-hander Anthony Banda.

Barger worked the count to 2-and-1 before hammering a pitch 413 feet into the right-center field stands for the first pinch-hit grand slam in World Series history.

“They brought in the lefty for me, and I was just trying to put the ball in play, get a run home, hopefully,” Barger said. “That was kind of my only goal, and it ended up working out better than that.”

His manager was all smiles talking about the big moment.

“Barg, man, he didn't budge,” Schneider said. “He was ready to go and hit a mistake pitch. So that was a little bit more than what we could have hoped for.”

“At this stage of the season, if you're starting or if you're not starting, there's a pretty specific approach and plan with what you're trying to do,” Schneider continued. “For a young guy to go out and execute is another thing. So a really cool moment for him. First pinch hit grand slam in World Series history. That's a really cool moment.”

But the Blue Jays weren’t done tacking on runs in the inning. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. looped a single to center, and one out later, Alejandro Kirk drilled a two-run home run to cap the nine-run inning and give the Blue Jays an 11–2 lead.

The nine runs scored by Toronto were the most in a single inning in the World Series since the Detroit Tigers plated 10 runs in Game 6 of the 1968 Fall Classic against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider. Photo Credit: Brian Frank, The Herd Chronicles

“Those at-bats in that inning started with Bo's walk, then a knock, and it kind of just kept on going,” Schneider said. “Those were some pretty terrific at-bats from everyone up and down the order.”

“I was just talking to Max (Scherzer), who's been through basically everything, and just hearing him say, you know, he’s never really felt an inning like that in the World Series.”

The nine-run eruption propelled Toronto to an 11–4 victory — and a 1–0 edge in the Series.

“I think it was just—I mean, just madness,” Barger said of the nine-run frame. “The fans are so energetic, and we really feel it. I thought we put together a lot of really good at-bats, and we made things happen, and it worked out.”

For Barger and the Blue Jays, it was more than that — it was a night that made Toronto feel like the center of the baseball universe again.

“I think that's probably as good as it gets,” Barger smiled.