Guerrero Blasts against Shohei Ohtani as Blue Jays See Off Dodgers to Tie Series at 2-2
Only 24 hours after staggering through one of the most exhausting defeats in Fall Classic history, the Blue Jays played with total command.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber provided a composed outing as the Blue Jays defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, squaring the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Toronto.
The Blue Jays had passed the morning of the next day dealing with their marathon third game defeat – tied for the longest Fall Classic game ever – a loss that denied them the opportunity to lead the matchup and burned through both bullpens. Manager Schneider stated later that “the Dodgers took a contest, not the championship”. A day later, his squad provided convincing evidence.
Early Innings
The Dodgers again scored first. Max Muncy walked in the second inning, moved up on a single and scored on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial score did not rattle a Toronto club that led MLB with 49 comeback wins this season.
They answered right away in the third. Lukes hit a one away base hit to centre and Guerrero stepped in looking for a breaking ball. Ohtani threw a sweeper up and Guerrero sent it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his first extra-base hit of the series and his 7th home run this playoffs – a new club record – restoring the Toronto's advantage after 13 shutout innings and shifting the momentum of the night.
Ohtani's Performance
That swing also halted Ohtani's history-making run of 11 straight plate appearances reaching base. The two-way phenomenon had smashed two home runs and got on base a record nine times in the Dodgers' third game comeback win. But on Tuesday, he started on short rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the previous marathon.
His fastball velocity sat below his seasonal average and he labored more as the game wore on. Nonetheless, he showed flashes of his typical command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first to continue his Fall Classic record. But the Blue Jays made him work: six base hits and four earned runs were charged to him in six-plus frames.
Seventh Inning Rally
The larger problem for the Dodgers was what came next when he eventually lost energy.
Varsho opened the seventh inning with a clean single to right, and Ernie Clement drilled a two-base hit off the fence to put two on with no outs. Roberts had no option but to pull Ohtani, who departed to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not finish the inning.
Anthony Banda came into the mess and right away fell behind. Andrés Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before driving in Varsho with a single to left field. Ty France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock the pitcher out of the game. Treinen entered next but also was unable to stem the rally: Bichette and Addison Barger punched run-scoring base hits through the diamond, completing a four-score barrage that pushed the margin to 6-1.
Toronto's Resilience
The Toronto's capacity to absorb early blows and respond has defined their entire postseason. They once again succeeded without Springer, the injured top-of-the-order man who left Game 3 after tweaking his oblique.
Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what Toronto needed. Acquired mid-season while completing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner stranded multiple baserunners and silenced the Dodgers' potent lineup. He allowed one run on four hits and three free passes before the manager summoned first-year pitcher Fluharty to confront the heart of the order in the sixth. Fluharty needed just 4 throws to retire Max Muncy and Edman, preserving a narrow lead that quickly grew safe.
Former starter Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' offense kept to sputter. The Dodgers have produced only three runs over their last 20 frames, an abrupt slowdown for a team that ranked among baseball's top lineups all year.
Final Moments
The Los Angeles managed a score in the ninth when Tommy Edman hit into an out to bring home Hernández after a walk and Muncy's double put runners on base. But Varland closed it down without permitting a comeback to build.
After a game when the Blue Jays left a World Series-record 19 runners and collapsed after repeated of missed opportunities, Game 4 was brutally effective. 6 different Blue Jays recorded base hits, 5 brought home scores and the squad converted nearly every run-scoring opportunity presented in the final stanzas.
Looking Ahead
The victory guarantees the championship title will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not celebrated a title since Carter's iconic game-winning homer in 1993. They now are aware they are guaranteed a full crowd in Toronto on Friday night – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what happens next in LA.
The fifth game looms with the matchup reset and momentum shifting north. Los Angeles left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Blue Jays's surge. Toronto counter with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Blue Jays chased the starter quickly in an decisive win.
