The Blue Jays are nearing the start of their first trip to the World Series since their back-to-back titles in 1992 and 1993.

One of the biggest strengths of the team thus far this postseason has been the quality starting pitching that they have gotten from Kevin Gausman, Trey Yesavage, Shane Bieber, and Max Scherzer.

It would seem to be a forgone conclusion that the Blue Jays line up their starters with the same games that they started in the ALCS. However, it is worth noting that Kevin Gausman pitched an inning in relief in Game 7 on Monday, perhaps leading the Blue Jays to decide to give him an extra day heading into this next series. This would allow the Blue Jays’ ace to be on normal rest heading into his start, and would push Yesavage up to start on Friday, with Bieber and Scherzer handling games three and four on the West Coast.

Yesavage’s road to this moment has been nothing short of spectacular.

You know the story by now, with the six-foot-four right-hander starting the year in Single-A and now on the brink of a World Series start. The Blue Jays look like geniuses with how they brought their top prospect along. Fans saw the dominant stuff against a dangerous lineup when he struck out 11 Yankees over 5 1/3 no-hit innings in the ALDS. Although he failed to replicate that success against the Mariners in Game 2 of the ALCS, he responded in a big way in Game 6, striking out seven over 5 2/3 innings of two-run ball.

Although Gausman would certainly tell you that he’s perfectly fine with taking the ball on four days’ rest – it is the World Series after all – this may be an opportunity for the Blue Jays to make sure their ace is as good as he can be against his biggest test yet.

Starting the series off with Yesavage also gives Toronto a chance to take an early lead in the series with a pitcher that none of the Dodgers’ offensive players have seen.

Comparatively, their hitters have combined for 172 at-bats against Scherzer, 156 against Gausman, and 58 against Bieber. Taking game one would be a huge boost for a Blue Jays team that looks to continue the wave of momentum generated from games six and seven of the ALCS. It may go without saying, but winning the first one puts you in a great spot to win the series. Of the 116 World Series that have happened under the best-of-seven format, 64.6% (75/116) of those teams have gone on to win the series.

The poise and maturity that Yesavage has shown should leave no doubt about whether he would be ready for the challenge. The Blue Jays got to this point by being bold with their young right-hander. There’s no reason not to continue to trust him in the biggest of spots.