Blue Jays infielder Bo Bichette returned to the starting lineup for Game 3 of the World Series on Monday night against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Like he did in Toronto’s 11-4 victory in Game 1, Bichette will play second base and bat in the cleanup position.
Bichette returned to the roster for the Fall Classic after missing seven weeks due to a knee sprain. He was used as a pinch-hitter in a 5-1 loss to the Dodgers in Game 2 at Rogers Centre.
“He felt better yesterday and (had) a full workout here and feels good today,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said from his office in media availability before Game 3. “We’re going to keep rolling with it.”
Bichette had a .311 batting average this past season and led Toronto with 181 hits. Over the first two games, he had one hit in three at-bats and a walk.
Bichette made a strong defensive play in Game 1 but was noticeably slower on the basepaths. He was replaced by pinch-runner Isiah Kiner-Falefa in the sixth inning.
“I think just playing will help him get his feet underneath him a little bit and gain a little bit more confidence as he goes with everything the game is going to ask him to do,” Schneider said. “So I think as this series goes (on), you’ll probably see him feel a little bit more comfortable when it does come to running and just the overall stamina of the game.”
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Nathan Lukes got the start in left field for Toronto and Addison Barger, who hit a grand slam in Game 1, was tabbed to start in right field.
Right-hander Max Scherzer was given the Game 3 start for the Blue Jays against right-hander Tyler Glasnow.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts made one minor change to his order. Max Muncy moved up one spot to bat fifth and Teoscar Hernandez dropped down to sixth.
This is the 64th time in World Series history that the teams have split the first two games. In the 1-1 scenario, the team that wins Game 3 goes on to win the series 67 per cent of the time.
Toronto’s Shane Bieber will start Game 4 on Tuesday against Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers. The starters for Game 5 on Wednesday had yet to be announced.
If necessary, the series will move back to Toronto for Game 6 on Friday. If the series goes the distance, Game 7 will be played Saturday at Rogers Centre.
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