Trey Yesavage's postseason heroics reminds Rangers' fans of another World Series hero

The World Series has a habit of showcasing the triumphs and downfalls of teams and players no matter what their experience looks beforehand, highlighting the beauty of sport on one of its biggest stages.

The lights could not be brighter for Trey Yesavage, a young player who is being relied on at a level that should be reminiscent for Rangers fans in Evan Carter during the 2023 World Series run; both of these players went into the postseason with minimal big-league experience and left cementing themselves as two of the players in recent memory to debunk the myth that experience truly is everything.

After dominant performances throughout the American League postseason, Yesavage led his team onto the field at Dodger Stadium during Game 5 and striking out 12 LA Dodgers in seven innings of work to help Toronto take a 3-2 series lead.

Yesavage is showing experience isn't everything

Yesavage put together quite the regular season campaign for the Blue Jays in the early goings of his career, with a 3.21 ERA through three games played but the postseason is where the baseball world has seen him shine the brightest.

The 22-year-old from Pennsylvania has a 3-1 record through five starts this October, notching 39 strikeouts through 26 innings pitched and allowing just 10 earned runs over those games. He has emerged as one of the best pitchers for Toronto and has proven that not only can he pitch in big games, but as one of the needed pieces of a Blue Jays team just one game from winning the World Series.

The greatness that Yesavage has put on display has resumed a long line of young stars that helped teams win championships, joining the Rangers’ Carter as rookies that made a huge impact on their teams down the stretch.

Carter had one of the greatest postseason performances by a young player in franchise history, all while feeling the pressure of having less than 30 games of major league experience under his belt before stepping onto the biggest stage of his young career. His postseason performance is what truly put the baseball world on notice, as he joined multiple lists of stars with his power at the plate during their championship run two years ago.

Carter became just the sixth player in MLB history to record two or more extra-base hits in a single World Series game en route to tallying nine doubles and setting a new league-wide record for most in a single postseason.

Carter and Yesavage's showcases make baseball fun

Ultimately, World Series performances stick with fans for a long time.

Even veteran players take advantage of their moment in the sun (see: Freddie Freeman’s walk-off grand slam in Game 1 of the 2024 World Series), but what makes rookies having these types of series is the fact that most people, fans and players alike, don’t necessarily feel like the young guys have what it takes to perform at the highest level when it matters most.

If you were to ask most baseball players what they grew up wishing for, you’d get a few versions of the same goal: I want to win the World Series. To see such young players perform at such a high-level when their dream is on the line is not only inspiring for the fans but it highlights that the league will be in good hands for a long time.

Carter was able to accomplish a life-long dream before even being able to call himself a Major League Baseball player for more than just a short time. Yesavage is in the same boat. Will they have more in common than just great performances at a young age? Who knows, but what I can tell you is that baseball fans will remember what these two did for their respective teams for a long time.