Guerrero Homers against Shohei Ohtani as Blue Jays See Off Dodgers to Tie Series at 2-2
Only 24 hours following staggering through one of the most draining losses in Fall Classic history, the Blue Jays displayed complete command.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run homer and Bieber delivered a composed outing as the Blue Jays beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, squaring the Fall Classic at two games each and ensuring the matchup will return to Canada.
Toronto had passed the early hours of the next day dealing with their marathon Game 3 loss – equal to the longest World Series game ever – a defeat that cost them the chance to take the lead in the series and depleted both bullpens. Skipper John Schneider stated afterwards that “they took a game, not the championship”. A day later, his squad offered convincing proof.
Early Innings
The Dodgers again struck first. Muncy walked in the second inning, advanced on a base hit and scored on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial score did not shake a Blue Jays team that led MLB with 49 comeback victories this season.
They answered right away in the third. Nathan Lukes lined a one-out single to centre and Guerrero stepped in looking for a curveball. Shohei Ohtani left a sweeper up and he drove it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his first long hit of the World Series and his 7th home run this playoffs – a new club record – regaining the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 scoreless frames and changing the momentum of the night.
Shohei's Performance
That hit also ended Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 straight plate appearances reaching base. The dual-threat phenomenon had smashed two homers and got on base a historic nine times in the Dodgers' third game comeback win. But on that night, he started on short rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the previous marathon.
Ohtani fastball velocity sat under his regular-season norm and he struggled more as the game progressed. Nonetheless, he displayed flashes of his usual control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to extend his World Series record. But the Toronto made him work: six hits and four runs were charged to him in over six frames.
Late Game Rally
The bigger issue for the Dodgers was what followed when he finally ran out of steam.
Daulton Varsho started the seventh with a clean hit to right field, and Ernie Clement smashed a double off the wall to put runners on with none out. Dave Roberts had no option but to pull the starter, who exited to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Dodgers' relief corps could not complete the escape.
Anthony Banda inherited the mess and immediately fell behind. Andrés Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before driving in the runner with a base hit to left. France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove the pitcher out of the contest. Treinen entered next but also failed to stop the momentum: Bo Bichette and Barger punched RBI singles through the diamond, completing a four-run barrage that pushed the lead to 6-1.
Toronto's Toughness
The Toronto's ability to withstand initial blows and respond has defined their whole run. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the injured leadoff hitter who exited Game 3 after tweaking his oblique.
Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what the Blue Jays required. Traded for mid-season while finishing recovery from elbow surgery, the former Cy Young winner stranded multiple baserunners and silenced the Los Angeles' dangerous lineup. He allowed one run on four hits and three walks before the manager called on first-year pitcher Mason Fluharty to face the core of the lineup in the sixth inning. Fluharty needed just 4 throws to retire Muncy and Edman, protecting a narrow advantage that quickly became comfortable.
Converted starter Chris Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' bats continued to struggle. Los Angeles have scored only 3 scores over their previous 20 innings, an sudden downturn for a club that ranked among MLB's elite lineups all year.
Closing Innings
The Dodgers managed a score in the ninth when Tommy Edman grounded out to score Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's double put two on base. But Varland finished the game without allowing a rally to develop.
After a night when the Blue Jays left a World Series-record 19 runners and collapsed after wave upon wave of missed chances, Game 4 was brutally efficient. Six separate Blue Jays recorded hits, 5 drove in scores and the team converted almost every run-scoring opportunity available in the late stanzas.
Looking Ahead
The victory ensures the World Series title will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not won a title since Joe Carter's famous walk-off homer in '93. They now are aware they are guaranteed a full house in Canada on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.
The fifth game approaches with the series even and momentum shifting to Toronto. Los Angeles pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Blue Jays's momentum. Toronto counter with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Blue Jays knocked out the starter quickly in an 11-4 win.
