Guerrero Homers against Ohtani as Blue Jays Defeat Los Angeles to Level World Series at 2-2
Less than a day following staggering through one of the most exhausting defeats in World Series annals, the Blue Jays played with total control.
Guerrero crushed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber delivered a composed start as Toronto defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, squaring the World Series at two games each and ensuring the series will head back to Canada.
Toronto had spent the morning of the next day dealing with their 18-inning third game defeat – tied for the lengthiest Fall Classic game ever – a loss that denied them the opportunity to take the lead in the series and burned through both relief corps. Manager Schneider insisted afterwards that “the Dodgers took a contest, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his team offered convincing proof.
Initial Action
The Los Angeles again struck first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, advanced on a single and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early breakthrough did not shake a Toronto club that topped Major League Baseball with 49 comeback wins this year.
They responded immediately in the third. Lukes hit a one-out single to center field and Guerrero stepped in looking for a breaking ball. Ohtani threw a slider up and he drove it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his initial long hit of the series and his 7th home run this postseason – a fresh club mark – regaining the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 shutout innings and shifting the momentum of the night.
Shohei's Night
That hit also halted Ohtani's history-making run of 11 consecutive at-bats getting on base. The dual-threat star had hit two homers and got on base a record nine times in the Los Angeles' third game comeback win. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on limited rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the previous marathon.
His fastball velocity was below his regular-season norm and he struggled more as the game wore on. Nonetheless, he displayed glimpses of his typical command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first to continue his World Series record. But the Toronto made him work: six hits and four runs were charged to him in six-plus innings.
Seventh Inning Rally
The bigger problem for Los Angeles was what came next when he eventually lost steam.
Varsho opened the seventh inning with a sharp single to right field, and Clement smashed a two-base hit off the wall to put two on with none out. Dave Roberts had little choice but to remove Ohtani, who departed to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Dodgers' bullpen could not finish the escape.
Anthony Banda came into the jam and right away fell behind. Andrés Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before driving in Varsho with a base hit to left field. Ty France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock Banda out of the contest. Treinen entered next but also was unable to stem the momentum: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger punched run-scoring singles through the infield, completing a four-run barrage that extended the lead to 6-1.
Toronto's Toughness
The Toronto's ability to absorb early blows and respond has characterized their whole postseason. They once again did it without George Springer, the hurt leadoff hitter who exited Game 3 after tweaking his oblique.
Shane Bieber, in contrast, was everything Toronto needed. Traded for mid-season while finishing rehab from elbow surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner left multiple runners and silenced the Dodgers' potent lineup. He allowed one run on four hits and three free passes before the manager summoned rookie pitcher Mason Fluharty to face the core of the lineup in the sixth inning. He needed just four pitches to get out Muncy and Edman, preserving a fragile lead that quickly became safe.
Former starter Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' bats continued to sputter. The Dodgers have scored only three runs over their last 20 innings, an sudden slowdown for a team that ranked among MLB's top offenses all year.
Final Innings
The Los Angeles scraped a run in the ninth when Tommy Edman grounded out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's two-base hit put runners aboard. But Varland closed it down without permitting a rally to develop.
Following a night when Toronto stranded a World Series-record 19 runners and fell apart after repeated of wasted chances, the fourth contest was brutally efficient. Six separate Blue Jays recorded base hits, five drove in runs and the team cashed nearly every scoring chance available in the final innings.
Next Up
The victory ensures the World Series trophy will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not celebrated a championship since Carter's iconic walk-off homer in '93. They now know they are guaranteed a packed crowd in Canada on Friday night – and possibly Saturday – no matter what happens next in LA.
The fifth game looms with the series even and energy shifting to Toronto. Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Toronto's momentum. The Blue Jays respond with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Blue Jays knocked out the starter quickly in an 11-4 win.
