Phillies hold special place in heart of Blue Jays' World Series breakout star

The Philadelphia Phillies may have already been eliminated from the playoffs, but that doesn't stop them from at least having a rooting interest. The Blue Jays are just one win away from knocking out the Los Angeles Dodgers and winning the World Series, but it's Blue Jays rookie Trey Yesavage who has garnered recognition across the baseball universe.

Yesavage was the 20th overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft and didn't make his MLB debut until Sept. 15 this year. In only three starts during the regular season, Yesavage pitched to a 1-0 record, 3.21 ERA and 16 strikeouts in 14 innings.

He has since ascended to postseason hero status, but it didn't start out that way. Before the big stage of the MLB postseason, Yesavage grew into a pitcher around the Philadelphia area.

Known Phillies fan Trey Yesavage has fans rooting for him back home in Philadelphia

While he's probably no longer a Phillies fan as a Blue Jays employee, Yesavage grew up rooting for the Phillies as a kid from Pottstown, PA. He's still a huge Eagles fan, but it was the Phillies who he followed first as a fan of baseball. He went on to play baseball at Boyertown High School before playing in college at East Carolina University in North Carolina.

Earlier in October, before his rise to fame in the postseason, Yesavage told MLB that he grew up a Phillies fan and his favorite player was Ryan Howard, even though the first jersey he owned was a Carson Wentz Eagles jersey. It's great to see a local kid living out his Major League dream, even if it's not with the Phillies. It's obvious that his parents are excited for him as well.

Just a little over a year ago, Yesavage was pitching at the collegiate level. The 22-year-old began the year in Single-A and moved swiftly through the Blue Jays system before finally landing in the majors.

Now baseball fans everywhere are reflecting on his first MLB postseason. In five playoff starts, Yesavage is 3-1 with a 3.46 ERA with 39 strikeouts in 26 innings.

His most recent outing in a pivotal Game 5 of the World Series had everyone in awe as he pitched seven innings (subscription required), while allowing only three hits, no walks, one earned run and striking out 12 batters. His strikeout total was a career high and also made history as the only rookie to ever accrue 12 strikeouts in a World Series game.

The Montgomery County native has set a lot of expectations for himself for the future. Whether he knows it or not right now, people will be paying attention to him after this World Series comes to a close. He's an exciting young player to watch and the one with the improbable story to tell.

Yesavage may be a part of the Blue Jays organization alongside former Phillies reliever Jeff Hoffman, but Phillies fans will still be rooting for him as a native of Philadelphia. He may be living out his dream on his own on the mound, but there's a little part of Philadelphia that got to be part of his journey to the big leagues.

He certainly is "built for this."