Trey Yesavage didn’t display the same dominance he did during the 2025 post-season on Tuesday, but for an ailing Toronto Blue Jays rotation, his performance was more than enough.
The 22-year-old rookie threw 5.1 shutout innings, allowing four hits and striking out three in his first major-league start of 2026.
The outing was atypical for Yesavage, as the majority of his outs came via soft contact, not strikeouts. He induced only five whiffs, the least of any major-league start of his career, including the post-season.
The right-hander also set a new personal high in innings pitched last season, totalling 139.2 across the minors, majors and the post-season. He blew past the 93.1 frames he tossed at East Carolina in 2024 — his last college season before being drafted.
The last time Yesavage started a game, he was making history, striking out 12 Los Angeles Dodgers over seven innings in Game 5 of the Fall Classic.
He broke the record for most strikeouts by a rookie in a World Series game, topping Don Newcombe’s previous mark of 11 set in 1949.
And while Tuesday’s outing lacked the overpowering swing-and-miss that defined his sensational post-season performance, Yesavage was effective regardless.
He didn’t walk a batter, allowed only three hard-hit balls, and stayed efficient, requiring only 74 pitches to pitch into the sixth inning.
And there were still glimpses of the strikeout stuff. Yesavage concluded his outing by getting Willson Contreras to wave awkwardly at a high slider.
Yesavage did miss badly at times with his fastball, but the pitch’s average velocity (94.3 m.p.h.) was on par with last season.
Yesavage’s next start could come as early as Sunday against the Minnesota Twins.
