Vladimir Guerrero Jr Blasts against Ohtani as Toronto Defeat Dodgers to Level Series at 2-2
Only 24 hours after enduring one of the most exhausting losses in World Series history, the Blue Jays displayed total command.
Guerrero crushed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber provided a steady start as Toronto beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, squaring the World Series at two games each and ensuring the series will return to Canada.
Toronto had passed the early hours of the next day processing their marathon Game 3 loss – tied for the longest World Series contest ever – a loss that cost them the chance to lead the matchup and depleted both bullpens. Manager John Schneider stated later that “they won a game, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his team provided emphatic evidence.
Early Innings
The Los Angeles again struck first. Max Muncy walked in the second, moved up on a base hit and scored on Hernández's fly out. But the early score did not rattle a Blue Jays team that topped MLB with 49 come-from-behind victories this year.
They responded right away in the third. Lukes lined a one away single to center field and Guerrero stepped in looking for a curveball. Ohtani threw a slider up and he sent it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his initial long hit of the series and his seventh homer this playoffs – a new club mark – regaining the Toronto's advantage after 13 scoreless innings and changing the momentum of the game.
Ohtani's Night
That hit also halted Shohei Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 straight at-bats reaching base. The two-way phenomenon had hit two homers and reached safely a historic nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 walk-off. But on that night, he took the mound on limited rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the previous marathon.
His fastball velocity was under his seasonal norm and he labored more as the game progressed. Even so, he showed glimpses of his typical command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and fanning six. He even walked in the first inning 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 over six innings.
Late Game Rally
The bigger problem for the Dodgers was what came next when Ohtani eventually ran out of steam.
Daulton Varsho started the seventh inning with a sharp hit to right, and Clement drilled a two-base hit off the wall to put runners on with no outs. Roberts had little choice but to remove Ohtani, who exited to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Dodgers' relief corps could not finish the escape.
Anthony Banda came into the mess and right away fell behind. Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before scoring Varsho with a base hit to left field. France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove Banda out of the contest. Treinen came in next but also was unable to stop the rally: Bo Bichette and Barger hit run-scoring singles through the infield, capping a four-score barrage that pushed the margin to 6-1.
Blue Jays's Toughness
The Blue Jays's ability to withstand early setbacks and respond has defined their entire run. They once again succeeded without Springer, the injured leadoff man who left Game 3 after tweaking his oblique.
Shane Bieber, in contrast, was everything the Blue Jays required. Acquired mid-season while completing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the ex- award-winning winner left multiple runners and quieted the Los Angeles' dangerous batting order. He allowed one earned run on four base hits and three free passes before the manager called on first-year pitcher Fluharty to confront the core of the lineup in the sixth. He needed just four pitches to retire Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a narrow advantage that soon became safe.
Former starting pitcher Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' bats continued to struggle. The Dodgers have scored only 3 scores over their last 20 frames, an sudden downturn for a club that ranked among baseball's elite offenses all season.
Final Moments
The Dodgers scraped a run in the ninth when Edman hit into an out to bring home Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's double put runners on base. But Varland closed it down without permitting a comeback to develop.
After a night when Toronto left a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after wave upon wave of wasted chances, Game 4 was ruthlessly effective. 6 different Toronto players recorded hits, five brought home scores and the squad cashed almost every scoring opportunity presented in the late innings.
Next Up
The victory ensures the championship title will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a championship since Carter's famous game-winning homer in '93. They now know they are assured a full house in Canada on Friday evening – and possibly Saturday – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.
The fifth game approaches with the matchup reset and energy swinging north. Los Angeles left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Blue Jays's surge. The Blue Jays counter with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Toronto knocked out Snell quickly in an decisive victory.