Guerrero Blasts against Shohei Ohtani as Toronto Defeat Dodgers to Level Series at 2-2
Less than a day after enduring one of the most exhausting defeats in World Series history, the Toronto Blue Jays played with complete command.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run home run and Bieber provided a steady outing as the Blue Jays beat the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, squaring the Fall Classic at two games each and guaranteeing the series will return to Toronto.
The Blue Jays had passed the morning of the next day dealing with their marathon Game 3 loss – tied for the lengthiest Fall Classic game ever – a defeat that cost them the chance to take the lead in the series and depleted both bullpens. Manager John Schneider stated later that “they won a game, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his team offered convincing proof.
Early Action
The Dodgers again struck first. Muncy walked in the second, advanced on a base hit and scored on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the initial score did not shake a Blue Jays team that led Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind wins this year.
They answered right away in the third. Nathan Lukes lined a one-out base hit to centre and Guerrero stepped in hunting a breaking ball. Ohtani left a sweeper up and he sent it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his first long hit of the series and his seventh home run this playoffs – a fresh team mark – regaining the Blue Jays's lead after 13 shutout innings and changing the momentum of the night.
Shohei's Performance
That swing also halted Ohtani's history-making run of 11 consecutive plate appearances getting on base. The dual-threat star had smashed 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 shortest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the previous extra-inning game.
Ohtani fastball velocity was under his regular-season average and he struggled more as the contest wore on. Nonetheless, he showed flashes of his typical command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to continue his World Series streak. But the Toronto made him work: six base hits and four earned runs were charged to him in over six frames.
Seventh Inning Rally
The larger problem for the Dodgers was what followed when Ohtani finally lost steam.
Varsho started the seventh with a sharp single to right, and Ernie Clement drilled a two-base hit off the fence to put runners on with none out. Roberts had little choice but to pull the starter, who exited to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not finish the escape.
Banda inherited the jam and right away fell behind. Andrés Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before driving in Varsho with a single to left. Ty France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock Banda out of the contest. Blake Treinen entered next but also failed to stem the momentum: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger punched RBI singles through the diamond, completing a four-run barrage that pushed the margin to 6-1.
Blue Jays's Toughness
The Toronto's ability to withstand initial setbacks and answer has defined their entire run. They once again did it without Springer, the injured leadoff man who exited Game 3 after tweaking his right side.
Bieber, in contrast, was everything the Blue Jays required. Traded for mid-season while completing recovery from elbow surgery, the ex- award-winning winner stranded multiple runners and silenced the Los Angeles' potent lineup. He gave up one earned run on four base hits and three walks before the manager called on rookie pitcher Mason Fluharty to face the heart of the lineup in the sixth. He needed just four throws to retire Muncy and Edman, preserving a fragile lead that soon became safe.
Former starter Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' bats kept to struggle. Los Angeles have scored only three scores over their last 20 frames, an sudden slowdown for a team that ranked among baseball's top offenses all year.
Closing Innings
The Los Angeles managed a run in the ninth when Edman hit into an out to score Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Muncy's double put runners on base. But Varland closed it down without allowing a comeback to build.
Following a game when the Blue Jays stranded a World Series-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after wave upon wave of missed chances, Game 4 was brutally efficient. 6 different Toronto players collected hits, five drove in runs and the team cashed nearly every run-scoring opportunity available in the late stanzas.
Next Up
The victory ensures the World Series title will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a title since Carter's famous walk-off homer in '93. They now know they are assured a full crowd in Canada on Friday night – and possibly Saturday – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.
Game 5 looms with the series reset and momentum swinging north. Los Angeles left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Blue Jays's momentum. The Blue Jays counter with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Blue Jays chased Snell quickly in an decisive victory.
