Blue Jays hit first leadoff back-to-back homers in World Series history — on 3 pitches

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Davis Schneider likes to imitate other players' batting stances during major league games. Sometimes, the Blue Jays' affable backup outfielder will be Aaron Judge, other times Bobby Witt Jr., or maybe Giancarlo Stanton.

He'll even pretend to be Will Smith, the Dodgers' slugging catcher who crouched behind Schneider to catch the first pitch of Game 5 on Wednesday night.

Smith never got that ball, because Schneider's impersonation of a World Series hero was absolutely pitch-perfect.

Toronto hit the first back-to-back homers to begin a game in World Series history when Schneider and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. connected on the first and third pitches by the Los Angeles Dodgers' Blake Snell to set a defiant early tone for the Jays against the defending champions.

Those homers also provided more runs than Trey Yesavage and his bullpen even needed in the Blue Jays' 6-1 victory, putting them on the brink of Canada's third World Series title.

Guerrero's eighth homer of a stellar postseason was no surprise. Schneider's first career playoff homer was a series-altering shocker — even for the 26-year-old outfielder himself.

“I didn’t really think I got it,” Schneider said with a grin. “But maybe playoff baseball is a little bit more juice, I don’t know.”

Schneider has been copying other players' stances for his entire professional career, which began when the Jays used a 28th-round pick on a kid out of small-town New Jersey. The scout who recommended him was John Schneider, who isn't related to him — but is now his manager in the big leagues.

When asked to explain why he changes his stance so frequently, Davis Schneider essentially shrugs and says he tries to copy any player who’s playing well in that particular week. When Judge is on a heater for the Yankees, for instance, Schneider might step up to the plate in the AL MVP’s imperious posture.

“I usually pick guys who are doing well,” Schneider said. “So (if) Judge has been doing well, (if) Will Smith is doing well -- I don’t know. I just like to have fun, and it’s baseball, so you've got to have fun with it.”

Davis Schneider actually wasn't impersonating a major leaguer when he led off Game 5. He was mimicking his own stance from 2023, when he hit 21 homers for the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons and earned his first promotion to the majors.

“I mean, I might switch it next game, so you never know,” Schneider said. “But I just like doing it. Sometimes I feel like my hands are in a different spot one day, and I need to change it. I’ve been doing it my whole career, and I’m not going to stop now.”

Schneider came up at Dodger Stadium looking for a first-pitch fastball on the advice of George Springer, the Jays' veteran leadoff hitter and former World Series MVP for Houston. Springer has missed the last two games with an injury to his right side, but he prepared Schneider to occupy his spot.

“George kind of always preaches you (should) always be ready for a fastball for the first pitch leading off the game,” Schneider said. “George has done it for numerous years, and I’ve got to take some advice when I can get it. Yeah, sitting fastball, it was up in the zone.”

Schneider hammered that high fastball to left, where it cleared the fence before a dumbfounded crowd of more than 52,175.

Schneider was 3 for 16 with a double and no RBIs in his first six playoff games this month. Snell struck out Schneider in his next two plate appearances in Game 5 before he was lifted for Myles Straw's defense, but Schneider had already carved a spot in Blue Jays playoff lore.

If Schneider gets a chance to play when the Series shifts to Toronto, he'll seize the chance to do another impersonation. He says nobody has ever mentioned the fact that he's copying them — not even Smith after Schneider mimicked him in the Series opener.

“I think it’s funny,” Schneider said. “Like, if they notice, I don’t know. Like, if Judge ever notices or Will Smith. I mean, I did it in Game 1, and Will Smith was standing right behind me, so, I mean, I wonder if he noticed or not."

"But hopefully they notice now.”

Guerrero then blasted an 0-1 fastball to left to extend his own Blue Jays record for homers in a postseason by hitting it 394 feet. The star slugger also had the tone-setting homer in Game 4, connecting off Shohei Ohtani.

Each of Snell's first three pitches were fastballs. He didn't throw another the rest of the first inning. Snell had only allowed one homer in his previous 50 innings of work.

“Against a really good pitcher like (Snell), you have to be ready to hit,” John Schneider said. “He’s going to come after you. He’s going to challenge you. I think those two swings from Schneid and from Vlad ... we wanted to be aggressive. There’s a time to grind ’em, and there’s a time to be ready to hit. Just pretty cool it worked out the way it did.”

Back-to-back leadoff homers had only happened one other time to begin a playoff game: Ray Durham and Scott Hatteberg of the Oakland Athletics connected off Minnesota's Rick Reed in Game 3 of the 2002 AL division series, with Durham leading off the game with an inside-the-park homer.

Schneider's homer also marked the first time the Blue Jays have scored first in this World Series. The teams split the first two games in Toronto, and Los Angeles won an 18-inning epic after two homers from Ohtani in Game 3 before the Jays calmly evened the series with a 6-2 victory Tuesday.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB

Toronto Blue Jays' Davis Schneider connects for a solo home run off Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell (7) leave the park during the first inning in Game 5 of baseball's World Series, Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Toronto Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero Jr. celebrates his solo home run during the first inning in Game 5 of baseball's World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Los Angeles Dodgers' pitcher Blake Snell looks towards the Toronto Blue Jays dugout during the first inning in Game 5 of baseball's World Series, Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Toronto Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero Jr. celebrates his home run during the first inning in Game 5 of baseball's World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Toronto Blue Jays' Davis Schneider (36) celebrates with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. after their back-to-back home runs during the first inning in Game 5 of baseball's World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

In the past week, many Americans remained focused on the economy, inflation and how those forces could impact their lives. Trips to the grocery store or gas station are more painful than they were last year, and that is impacting the decisions of both households and businesses.

Here’s a snapshot of prominent economic data and news that occurred over the past week and what it potentially means for you.

America’s employers delivered a surprising 115,000 new jobs last month despite an economic shock from the Iran war.

Hiring was better than the 65,000 forecasters had expected, though it decelerated from the 185,000 jobs created in March. The unemployment rate remained at a low 4.3%, the Labor Department reported Friday.

Healthcare added 37,000 jobs last month and retailers 22,000. However, manufacturers cut 2,000 jobs in April and have shed 66,000 jobs over the past year despite President Donald Trump’s protectionist policies aimed at creating factory jobs.

The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate rose again this week, reflecting ongoing bond market volatility as surging oil prices due to the war with Iran heighten inflation worries.

The benchmark 30-year fixed rate mortgage rate rose to 6.37% from 6.3% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. That’s still down from one year ago, when the rate averaged 6.76%.

This is the second straight weekly increase, bringing the average rate back to where it was four weeks ago.

Weekly U.S. jobless claim applications rose last week but remain at historically low levels despite elevated inflation and other economic headwinds.

The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits in the week ending May 2 rose by 10,000 to 200,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That’s fewer than the 205,000 new applications analysts surveyed by the data firm FactSet were expecting.

The previous week’s new claims figure, which was the fewest since 1969, was revised up by 1,000 to 190,000.

Weekly filings for unemployment benefits are considered a proxy for U.S. layoffs and are close to a real-time indicator of the health of the job market.

U.S. job openings were essentially unchanged in March but hiring improved before the full impact of the Iran war hit the economy.

Employers posted 6.87 million jobs in March, compared to 6.92 million in February, the Labor Department reported Tuesday.

The job market has been up and down so far this year after a dismal 2025. And the Iran war, which began Feb. 28, has clouded the outlook for the economy and hiring.

The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey showed that layoffs rose in March. But hiring improved: Employers added 5.55 million gross jobs, the most since February 2024. More Americans also quit their jobs — a sign of confidence in their prospects.

U.S. stocks rose toward new highs to end the week on promising news in the labor market and also more strong earnings for major U.S. corporations.

The S&P 500 climbed 0.5% toward an all-time high after a report said U.S. employers added 115,000 more jobs than they cut last month, even though the war with Iran is raising fuel costs and uncertainty for everyone.

While hiring slowed from March’s level, it was nevertheless nearly double what economists expected. And it kept the S&P 500 on track for a sixth straight winning week, which would be its longest such streak since 2024. The U.S. stock market has blasted higher since late March, in part on hopes that the war will not mean a worst-case scenario for the global economy and that the Strait of Hormuz will reopen to allow oil tankers to deliver crude from the Persian Gulf again.

Trader Edward McCarthy, left, and Michael Milano work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Thursday, May 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

FILE - The per-gallon price is displayed elecronically over the grades of gasoline available at a Buc-ee's convenience stop Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Johnstown, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, file)

FILE - Hiring sign for sales professionals is displayed at a store, in Vernon Hills, Ill., Wednesday, April 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, file)