Guerrero Homers off Ohtani as Blue Jays Defeat Los Angeles to Level Series at 2-2
Only 24 hours following enduring one of the most draining losses in World Series annals, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed total control.
Guerrero smashed a two-run home run and Bieber provided a composed start as Toronto beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, tying the World Series at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the matchup will return to Canada.
The Blue Jays had passed the early hours of the next day processing their 18-inning third game defeat – equal to the lengthiest Fall Classic game ever – a loss that denied them the chance to take the lead in the matchup and burned through both bullpens. Manager Schneider insisted afterwards that “they took a contest, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his team provided emphatic proof.
Early Action
The Los Angeles again scored first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second, moved up on a base hit and scored on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial score did not shake a Blue Jays club that led MLB with 49 comeback wins this season.
They answered immediately in the third. Lukes hit a one away base hit to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in looking for a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani left a sweeper up and Guerrero drove it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his first long hit of the series and his seventh homer this postseason – a fresh team record – regaining the Blue Jays's lead after 13 scoreless innings and changing the momentum of the game.
Ohtani's Performance
That swing also halted Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 consecutive plate appearances getting on base. The dual-threat phenomenon had smashed two home runs and got on base a historic nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 walk-off. But on that night, he took the mound on short rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the previous extra-inning game.
Ohtani pitch speed was below his regular-season norm and he struggled more as the contest wore on. Even so, he displayed flashes of his typical command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to extend his Fall Classic record. But the Blue Jays made him work: six base hits and four earned runs were credited to him in six-plus frames.
Late Game Surge
The bigger issue for the Dodgers was what came next when Ohtani eventually lost energy.
Varsho opened the seventh inning with a sharp single to right, and Clement drilled a double off the fence to put runners on with no outs. Roberts had little choice but to pull Ohtani, who exited to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not finish the escape.
Anthony Banda inherited the mess and right away trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before scoring the runner with a single to left. Ty France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock Banda out of the contest. Blake Treinen entered next but also was unable to stop the rally: Bichette and Barger hit RBI base hits through the diamond, capping a four-score outburst that extended the margin to 6-1.
Toronto's Resilience
The Blue Jays's ability to withstand initial blows and respond has characterized their whole run. They once again did it without Springer, the injured leadoff man who left Game 3 after tweaking his oblique.
Bieber, in contrast, was everything the Blue Jays needed. Acquired during the summer while completing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner stranded multiple runners and quieted the Los Angeles' dangerous batting order. He gave up one earned run on four hits and three free passes before Schneider summoned first-year pitcher Mason Fluharty to face the core of the lineup in the sixth. Fluharty needed just four pitches to retire Muncy and Edman, protecting a narrow advantage that soon became comfortable.
Former starter Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' offense kept to struggle. The Dodgers have scored only three scores over their previous 20 frames, an sudden downturn for a club that was among MLB's elite offenses all season.
Final Moments
The Los Angeles managed a score in the ninth when Tommy Edman hit into an out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's double put two on base. But Varland finished the game without permitting a comeback to develop.
Following a game when Toronto stranded a World Series-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after repeated of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was ruthlessly efficient. Six different Toronto players collected hits, 5 brought home runs and the squad cashed nearly every run-scoring chance presented in the final stanzas.
Looking Ahead
The win ensures the championship title will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not celebrated a championship since Joe Carter's iconic walk-off home run in '93. They now are aware they are assured a full house in Canada on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what occurs next in LA.
Game 5 approaches with the matchup even and momentum swinging to Toronto. Dodgers pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Toronto's surge. Toronto counter with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Blue Jays knocked out Snell early in an decisive victory.
