Before games, when they’re strategizing for an opponent, Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider and his coaches will map out a few different scenarios to anticipate how that night’s game could unfold. There’s plan A, in which everything goes as intended, plan B, where some adjustments are required, and so on. The meetings are designed to prepare the coaches and their players for what’s ahead — even if adjustments are inevitably required.Sometimes they’ll even joke about scenarios that are objectively unlikely to occur — because you never know.“Like, hey, what are you going to do if the guy’s got a no-hitter?” Schneider might say. “This organization’s due for one.”On Sunday afternoon, that very scenario — the A-1 plan that’s so unlikely it’s almost a joke — unfolded at Rogers Centre thanks to Trey Yesavage.On a sunny afternoon with the roof open, the Blue Jays hit five home runs, including the first postseason grand slam in franchise history by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. They jumped out to a 12-0 lead, ensuring they’d take a 2-0 hold on the ALDS. But more than anything else, what stood out from this game was the historic performance of Yesavage, a 22-year-old who made his big-league debut a little less than three weeks ago. "I LOVE YOU GUYS." ????An emotional Trey Yesavage joins @thehazelmae after his masterful #Postseason debut. pic.twitter.com/dISKX3QlmV— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 5, 2025Thanks to a well-located fastball and a splitter that kept diving away from the Yankees’ bats, Yesavage pitched 5.1 hitless, scoreless innings Sunday on the way to his first career playoff win. Along the way, he became the youngest pitcher in MLB history to allow no hits in a playoff start and set a Blue Jays franchise record for strikeouts in a postseason game with 11.“This has got to be cloud nine,” Yesavage said. “I couldn’t imagine a better feeling.”It was only a few days ago that the Blue Jays informed Yesavage that he’d be making this start — and doing so for a team that left Chris Bassitt and three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer off the ALDS roster.The 22-year-old was “beyond floored” to learn he was getting the assignment, and understandably so. After all, it was only 16 months ago that he was pitching in college. But Yesavage pitched well enough to ascend through five levels of affiliated baseball this year — and well enough to build some confidence along the way.“I’m built for this,” Yesavage said Saturday morning — a comment that could have backfired and one that a more experienced interviewee might have avoided in favour of a cliche. But after just three big-league starts, Yesavage felt he was ready. And after Sunday, it’s clear he was right.“Very proud of him,” Guerrero Jr. said. “I mean, he said it — he’s made for this.”Yesavage’s Blue Jays teammates impressed by performanceSoon after expressing such confidence, the thought occurred to Yesavage that he had created a little pressure for himself while offering the Yankees some potential bulletin board material.“And I was like, well, I’d better back that up,” Yesavage said. “I wanted to go out there and do the best I possibly could. Thankfully, it stayed true to that.”ELEVEN STRIKEOUTS FOR TREY YESAVAGE!He has not allowed a hit through 5 innings ???? pic.twitter.com/7FWeeORmoV— MLB (@MLB) October 5, 2025Performing this well on this stage requires arm talent but also enough composure to deliver when the lights are brightest. Facing him was a stacked Yankees lineup that led baseball in runs, home runs and wRC+ by wide margins.“That was nasty stuff. That split is unlike much you ever run into,” said Yankees manager Aaron Boone. “We just didn’t have an answer for the split. He was on his game.”Yesavage’s teammates were equally impressed.“Incredible,” said George Springer. “He gave us everything that we could have asked for and more against an unbelievably talented lineup.”“He made our job in the field easy,” said Ernie Clement. “He struck everybody out, so that was nice.”No game plan, no matter how optimistic, would have called for a performance quite that good. The credit goes to Yesavage, of course. But the team’s player development and coaching staffs deserve recognition here, too. After selecting Yesavage 20th overall with a pick that now looks great, the Blue Jays successfully guided the prospect through four minor-league stops in one season. “I’ve met the entire organization,” Yesavage joked.“The journey this dude’s been on this year is unbelievable,” Schneider added.Rookie starter baffles Yankees hitters with devastating splitterUpon reaching the majors, he succeeded right away, dominating the Rays and holding his own against Kansas City before pitching well in a second start against Tampa. But his only road starts had come in relatively quiet environments — Steinbrenner Field, the minor-league Yankees park that temporarily housed the Rays, and Kauffman Stadium.This next challenge was going to come with far more pressure, so the Blue Jays preferred to use Yesavage at home, where the crowd would be on his side, while trusting the more experienced Shane Bieber at Yankee Stadium in Game 3.Plus, by starting Yesavage at home, the Blue Jays made sure the Yankees wouldn’t have access to the life-like Trajekt pitching machine their hitters use in the Bronx. That might have helped Yesavage, considering the Yankees had never faced him and his exceptionally high release point before Sunday.“You can (still) prepare pretty well. I mean, there’s a lot of information, a lot of video,” Boone said. “But then there’s no substitute for experiencing someone too. The fact that he is a bit unique, I’m sure, played into a little bit of his effectiveness.”Unorthodox delivery or not, it was still on Yesavage to perform. On Sunday, he did just that, helping the Blue Jays defeat a formidable opponent, proving to himself that he is indeed built for this and allowing his teammates and fans to dream even bigger about what’s next.Smiling broadly, he reflected on where the last three weeks have taken him.“A dream come true. I’m sure it will sink in later.”