Opinion: Why Addison Barger and Nathan Lukes were Game 1 World Series pinch hitters

In the first three innings in game one of the 2025 World Series, it looked like the Los Angeles Dodgers were in complete control. The Dodgers had the 2-0 lead over the Toronto Blue Jays thanks to RBI singles by Enrique Hernandez and Will Smith.

Then momentum shifted thanks to a two-run home run by Daulton Varsho in the bottom of the fourth inning which tied the game at two. What we then saw in the bottom of the sixth inning was simply magical from a Blue Jays perspective.

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Toronto scored nine times in the inning on six hits, two walks, and one hit by pitch. The most memorable hit was an Addison Barger grand slam. Barger’s four-run dinger made Major League Baseball history. He became the first pinch hitter to ever record a four-run home run in the Fall Classic according to Rogers Sportsnet. Barger scored Nathan Lukes, Andres Gimenez and George Springer with a 413 foot shot to centerfield. Ironically, Lukes was also a pinch-hitter in the sixth inning as he came in for Myles Straw. Barger, meanwhile, came in for Davis Schneider. The Blue Jays also got a sixth inning home run from Kirk to put them up 11-2.

You may wonder why Barger and Lukes came in as pinch hitters when they have already had outstanding postseasons. That is because Blue Jays management took their chances with Straw and Schneider.

In my opinion, there is clear rationale behind Blue Jays Manager John Schneider’s decision here. Barger and Lukes are better hitters against right hatted pitching. Lukes bats .257 against right handed pitching versus .238 against left handed pitching. Barger bats .249 against right handed pitching versus .217 against left handed pitching. By not starting Lukes and Barger with the traditionally effective left handed Blake Snell pitching, Schneider did not want to affect the confidence in their swing against right handed pitching. When Snell left, Schneider had every intention to bring in Lukes and Barger, and it did not matter if southpaw reliever Anthony Banda threw left handed or right handed, he like reliever Emmet Sheehan, who pitched before Banda, were completely ineffective.

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