Guerrero Blasts against Ohtani as Blue Jays Defeat Dodgers to Tie World Series at 2-2
Less than a day after staggering through one of the most exhausting losses in World Series annals, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed total control.
Guerrero smashed a two-run home run and Bieber provided a steady start as the Blue Jays defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, tying the World Series at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the series will return to Canada.
Toronto had passed the morning of the next day processing their 18-inning Game 3 loss – equal to the lengthiest Fall Classic game ever – a defeat that denied them the opportunity to lead the matchup and depleted both relief corps. Manager Schneider stated later that “they won a contest, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad offered convincing proof.
Early Action
The Dodgers again scored first. Max Muncy walked in the second inning, advanced on a single and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the early score did not rattle a Toronto team that led MLB with 49 comeback victories this year.
They responded immediately in the third inning. Nathan Lukes lined a one-out single to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate hunting a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani threw a slider up and he drove it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his initial long hit of the series and his seventh homer this postseason – a fresh club mark – regaining the Blue Jays's lead after 13 scoreless frames and shifting the tone of the game.
Ohtani's Night
That swing also ended Shohei Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 consecutive at-bats getting on base. The two-way phenomenon had smashed two home runs and reached safely a historic nine times in the Dodgers' third game walk-off. But on that night, he took the mound on short rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the previous marathon.
Ohtani pitch speed was below his seasonal norm and he struggled more as the contest progressed. Even so, he displayed glimpses of his typical control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and fanning six. He even walked in the first inning to continue his World Series streak. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six hits and four runs were charged to him in six-plus frames.
Late Game Surge
The larger issue for Los Angeles was what followed when Ohtani eventually lost steam.
Daulton Varsho started the seventh inning with a sharp hit to right, and Ernie Clement smashed a double off the fence to put runners on with none out. Dave Roberts had little choice but to remove Ohtani, who departed to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Dodgers' relief corps could not complete the inning.
Anthony Banda inherited the jam and right away fell behind. Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before driving in Varsho with a single to left field. France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock Banda out of the game. Blake Treinen came in next but also was unable to stop the momentum: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger hit RBI singles through the diamond, capping a four-score barrage that extended the margin to 6-1.
Blue Jays's Resilience
The Blue Jays's ability to absorb initial blows and answer has characterized their entire postseason. They once again succeeded without Springer, the hurt leadoff man who exited the third game after straining his oblique.
Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what the Blue Jays required. Traded for mid-season while completing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner stranded several runners and silenced the Los Angeles' dangerous lineup. He allowed one run on four hits and three walks before Schneider called on first-year pitcher Fluharty to confront the core of the order in the sixth. He required just 4 pitches to retire Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a narrow advantage that soon became safe.
Converted starter Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' offense kept to struggle. Los Angeles have produced only 3 runs over their last 20 frames, an sudden slowdown for a team that was among baseball's top offenses all year.
Closing Moments
The Los Angeles scraped a run in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman hit into an out to bring home Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's two-base hit put two on base. But Louis Varland finished the game without allowing a rally to build.
Following a game when Toronto left a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and collapsed after wave upon wave of missed opportunities, Game 4 was brutally effective. Six separate Blue Jays collected hits, 5 drove in scores and the team converted almost every run-scoring chance presented in the final stanzas.
Next Up
The victory ensures the championship title will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not won a championship since Joe Carter's iconic game-winning home run in '93. They now are aware they are assured a packed crowd in Canada on Friday night – and possibly Saturday – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.
The fifth game looms with the matchup even and energy swinging to Toronto. Los Angeles pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Blue Jays's momentum. The Blue Jays counter with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Blue Jays knocked out Snell early in an decisive victory.