For the first time in 32 years, the Toronto Blue Jays are going to the World Series. And a UWM alum, Daulton Varsho, played an important part in making that happen.
Varsho collected two hits Monday in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series, including a single to drive in Toronto’s first run in the first inning to tie the game. Varsho recorded five hits in the series against the Seattle Mariners, and he also played his usual stellar defense in center field.
When Toronto takes on the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series starting Friday, Varsho will become the first UWM alum to appear in baseball’s ultimate event. Varsho was already a trailblazer, the first UWM alum to make it to the major leagues when he debuted as a catcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2020.
“This is awesome. I mean, we do it for these people,” Varsho said after Monday’s game, motioning to the Toronto crowd, calling the fans “the reason we play the game. They’re here every day, supporting us, it’s just awesome.”
Coach happy for his former player
Varsho’s head coach at UWM, Scott Doffek, is thrilled to see his player’s success.
“You love to see when hard work and determination is rewarded. He’s been on the big stage for a while now and has accomplished a lot since he left UWM, but now the entire world gets to see what he’s been working towards,” said Doffek, who retired as UWM coach in 2023. “I am so proud of him and happy for him – we all are! He deserves this spotlight.”
Varsho was drafted by the Diamondbacks in 2017 after his junior year at UWM. Arizona traded him to Toronto before the 2023 season. A gifted athlete, Varsho shifted to center field in the major leagues, winning a Gold Glove award there in 2024.
Varsho’s father, Gary Varsho, played eight seasons of major league baseball. He just missed making it to the World Series twice when his Pittsburgh Pirates team fell one game short in both 1991 and 1992.
Dad cried
Daulton Varsho noted that his father’s heartbreak has turned to joy with his son’s success.
“I mean, he cried. He cried that I’m able to get to this point,” Varsho said to Canadian sports broadcaster Sportsnet. “It’s just one of those things where he was on that side, and it stinks. He was up 3-2 and he knows what it feels like, so obviously being able to pull it out for us, it’s awesome.”
Varsho battled injuries much of this season, but he was a stalwart in the middle of the Blue Jays lineup for 71 games. He hit 20 home runs and posted an OPS of .833, well above league average. He had a monster Game 2 in the American League Division Series, driving in four runs with two homers and two doubles in a 13-7 victory of the New York Yankees.
Varsho grew up in the tiny unincorporated hamlet of Chili, Wisconsin, which is about 10 miles west of Marshfield in the central part of the state.
UWM, the only Division I baseball program in Wisconsin, has had 26 players drafted by major league teams, including three in three years from 2022 to 2024. A.J. Blubaugh became the second UWM player to make it to the majors when the Houston Astros called him up earlier this season.
Written by John Schumacher
Link to original story: https://uwm.edu/news/varsho-becomes-first-uwm-alum-to-make-it-to-the-world-series/