As if he hadn’t already generated enough thrills during his mania-inducing season, Fernando Valenzuela took the Dodger Stadium hill on October 10, 1981 with his club down 2-1 in the best-of-five opening series, one more loss to the Astros away from having the rest of the year off. So the lefty – not yet 21 years old and not quite ready to say goodbye to his magical campaign – went out and threw up zeroes for the first eight frames. He did allow a run in the ninth, but held on for a four-hitter in a 2-1 victory. There was more Dodgers-baseball to be played, thanks in large part to the NL Rookie of the Year and Cy Young winner.
Nine days later, the venue had moved from Los Angeles to Montreal and the immense stakes had traveled along: the Dodgers again facing the prospect of an eliminating loss. The solution was the same – bring on Fernando. The result was also familiar – a 2-1 victory with the nonplussed southpaw recording the win. Two win-or-go-on-vacation scenarios, two wins earned and deposited into Valenzuela’s account.
A few others have stared down this burdensome responsibility twice in one year and twice come away with the high fives, fist bumps, ‘W’s and the other signifiers of a job well done, but none have been so young as Fernando Valenzuela in 1981.
*Mariners v. Blue Jays, ALCS Game 6*
Facing elimination, Toronto defeated Seattle, 6-2, to force a decisive Game 7.
On the mound, Trey Yesavage worked five-and-two-thirds innings to record the win, his second of this year’s postseason.
~At 22 years and 83 days old, Yesavage became the 19th youngest starting pitcher to take the ball in a potential elimination game. Among the right-hander and all the younger ones, eight came away from the pressure with a win on his ledger.
Youngest Starting Pitchers With a Win in a Potential Elimination Game
20 years, 343 days Fernando Valenzuela in Game 4 of the 1981 NLDS
20 years, 353 days Fernando Valenzuela in Game 5 of the 1981 NLCS
21 years, 185 days Steve Avery in Game 6 of the 1991 NLCS
21 years, 199 days Bret Saberhagen in Game 7 of the 1985 WS
21 years, 281 days Jaret Wright in Game 5 of the 1997 ALDS
21 years, 355 days Bud Smith in Game 4 of the 2001 NLDS
22 years, 55 days Paul Dean in Game 6 of the 1934 World Series
22 years, 83 days Trey Yesavage in Game 6 of the 2025 ALCS
~Yesavage joined 12 others as starting pitchers to record multiple wins in a postseason while being younger than 23. Michael Wacha won four games with the Cardinals in 2013, for the most. He’s followed in this manner:
3 Fernando Valenzuela (1981), Liván Hernández (1997), Jaret Wright (1997)
2 Smoky Joe Wood (1912), Waite Hoyt (1921), Paul Dean (1934), Dave Righetti (1981), Bret Saberhagen (1985), Steve Avery (1991), Madison Bumgarner (2010), Ian Anderson (2020), Trey Yesavage (2025)
Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. homered and singled and also reached safely on a hit by pitch, scoring two runs and driving in one.
~For the ALCS, the Blue Jays’ first baseman is slashing .409/.519/.955/1.473. For each of these slash line components, the items below identify the best mark in any LCS (min. 12 plate appearances) and the best any Blue Jay has done in any LCS (same minimum).
→Average: .727 (Lloyd McClendon in 1992) | .474 (Roberto Alomar in 1991)
→OBP: .750 (Lloyd McClendon in 1992) |.524 (Roberto Alomar in 1991)
→SLG: 1.294 (Daniel Murphy in 2015) | .955 (Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. in 2025)
→OPS: 1.932 (Lloyd McClendon in 1992) |1.473 (Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. in 2025)
~For the entire 2025 postseason, Guerrero, Jr. is slashing .462/.532/1.000/1.532 in 10 games.
→Among players with at least 30 plate appearances in any postseason, Manny Ramírez (2008) owns the highest batting average, at .520. Guerrero’s .462 currently rests as the 11th best, between Lou Brock’s .464 in 1968 and Max Carey’s .458 in 1925.
→Among players with at least 30 plate appearances in any postseason, Manny Ramírez (2008) owns the highest on-base percentage, at .667. Guerrero’s .532 currently rests as the 14th best, between Carlos Beltrán’s .536 in 2004 and the .531 from Carney Lansford in 1989 and Jesse Winker in 2024.
→Among players with at least 30 plate appearances in any postseason, Manny Ramírez (2008) owns the highest slugging percentage, at 1.080. Guerrero’s 1.000 currently sits in a tie with Fernando Tatis, Jr.’s mark from 2024 as the fourth best, behind Ramírez, Giancarlo Stanton (1.038 in 2020) and Carlos Beltrán (1.022 in 2004).
→Among players with at least 30 plate appearances in any postseason, Manny Ramírez (2008) owns the highest OPS, at 1.747. He’s followed by Barry Bonds (1.559 in 2002), Carlos Beltrán (1.557 in 2004), Guerrero, Jr. in 2025 (1.532) and Rickey Henderson (1.509 in 1989).
~Guerrero, Jr.’s homer in this Game 6 marked his sixth of the 2025 postseason and sixth of his postseason career.
→The six tie him with 21 others for the 13th most in any postseason. Randy Arozarena’s 10 in 2020 are the most.
→The six place Guerrero, Jr. in a tie with Joe Carter and José Bautista for the most in a lifetime by a Blue Jay.
Ernie Clement doubled and tripled in the win, scoring two more runs.
~Clement is one of six Blue Jays to reach double-digits in runs scored in a postseason, his 10 tied with the tallies from Rickey Henderson and John Olerud in 1993. Paul Molitor’s 17 in 1993 leads, followed by the 11 from Devon White in 1993 and Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. in 2025.
~Clement is slashing .447/.463/.658/1.121 in 10 postseason games this year.
Highest BA in a Postseason (min. 30 PA) – Blue Jays
.462 Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. in 2025
.447 Paul Molitor in 1993
.447 Ernie Clement in 2025
.417 Josh Donaldson in 2016
.388 Roberto Alomar in 1993
Highest OBP in a Postseason (min. 30 PA) – Blue Jays
.532 Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. in 2025
.527 Paul Molitor in 1993
.463 Ernie Clement in 2025
.462 Josh Donaldson in 2016
.455 Roberto Alomar in 1993
Highest SLG in a Postseason (min. 30 PA) – Blue Jays
1.000 Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. in 2025
.851 Paul Molitor in 1993
.686 Devon White in 1993
.667 Josh Donaldson in 2016
.659 José Bautista in 2015
.658 Ernie Clement in 2025
Highest OPS in a Postseason (min. 30 PA) – Blue Jays
1.532 Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. in 2025
1.378 Paul Molitor in 1993
1.128 Josh Donaldson in 2016
1.121 Ernie Clement in 2025
1.115 Devon White in 1993
Like Clement and Guerrero, Jr., Addison Barger also produced a pair of hits, driving in a run on a single in the second and clubbing a two-run homer in the third. The right fielder was one of seven Blue Jays with a hit on Sunday, representative of a consistent attack but nowhere near the top effort from a team facing elimination. In Game 5 of the 1996 NLCS, the Braves had 11 players hit safely – all nine starters (including pitcher John Smoltz, who was 2-for-4) and two reserves in a 22-hit, 14-0 win.
Josh Naylor homered and singled for the Mariners in the loss, his fifth multi-hit game of this year’s postseason. For the franchise, Ken Griffey, Jr. has the most – seven in 1995 – in any one year, followed by Jay Buhner (1995) and Naylor tied for second. Remove the “just Mariners” qualification and Boston’s Marty Barrett (1986), Atlanta’s Marquis Grissom (1996) and Anaheim’s Troy Glaus (2002) share honors for the most in any postseason among all players, with nine multi-hit games apiece.
With the victory, the Blue Jays improved to 7-8 all-time in postseason games facing elimination. They had dropped their previous four, a streak dating back to Game 5 of the 2016 ALCS, a 3-0 loss to the Indians. With the loss, the Mariners fell to 5-2 in potential clinching games. Both defeats have come in 2025, this one succeeding the Game 4 loss to the Tigers in the ALDS.
Looking to Game 7 …
~The Blue Jays have played in three winner-take-all contests. They dropped Game 7 of the 1985 ALCS to the Royals, 6-2. In Game 5 of the 2015 ALDS, they defeated the Rangers, 6-3. The next year, they defeated the Orioles, 5-2 (in 11 innings), in the ALWC.
~The Mariners have played in three winner-take-all games, winning all three, with all three coming in the fifth game of an ALDS: in 1995 against the Yankees, 6-5 in 11 innings; in 2001 against the Indians, 3-1; in 2025 against the Tigers, 3-2 in 15 innings.
Thanks to Baseball Reference and its extraordinary research database, Stathead, for help in assembling this piece.
Roger Schlueter
As Sr. Editorial Director for Major League Baseball Productions from 2004-2015, Roger served as a hub for hundreds of hours of films, series, documentaries and features: as researcher, fact-checker, script doctor, and developer of ideas. The years at MLB Production gave him the ideal platform to pursue what galvanized him the most – the idea that so much of what takes place on the field during the MLB regular and postseason (and is forever beautifully condensed into a box score) has connections to what has come before. Unearthing and celebrating these webs allows baseball to thrive, for the present can come alive and also reignite the past.