Guerrero Blasts against Shohei Ohtani as Blue Jays See Off Dodgers to Level Series at 2-2
Less than a day following enduring one of the most draining defeats in Fall Classic history, the Blue Jays played with complete command.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber delivered a composed start as the Blue Jays defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, tying the World Series at two games each and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Canada.
Toronto had passed the morning of Tuesday dealing with their marathon Game 3 loss – equal to the longest Fall Classic game ever – a loss that cost them the opportunity to lead the matchup and depleted both bullpens. Manager John Schneider insisted later that “the Dodgers took a contest, not the World Series”. A day later, his squad provided convincing evidence.
Early Innings
The Los Angeles again struck first. Muncy walked in the second, moved up on a base hit and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the initial breakthrough did not rattle a Blue Jays club that led MLB with 49 comeback wins this season.
They answered immediately in the third. Nathan Lukes hit a one-out base hit to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate looking for a curveball. Ohtani threw a sweeper up and Guerrero drove it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his initial long hit of the World Series and his 7th homer this postseason – a fresh team record – regaining the Blue Jays's lead after 13 scoreless frames and changing the momentum of the game.
Shohei's Performance
That hit also halted Shohei Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 straight plate appearances reaching base. The two-way phenomenon had smashed two home runs and got on base a historic nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 walk-off. But on Tuesday, he started on short rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the prior extra-inning game.
Ohtani fastball velocity was below his seasonal average and he struggled more as the game progressed. Even so, he displayed glimpses of his usual command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first to extend his Fall Classic streak. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six hits and four runs were charged to him in over six innings.
Seventh Inning Surge
The bigger problem for the Dodgers was what followed when he finally lost energy.
Daulton Varsho started the seventh inning with a sharp hit to right, and Clement smashed a two-base hit off the fence to put runners on with no outs. Dave Roberts had no option but to pull the starter, who departed to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Dodgers' relief corps could not complete the inning.
Anthony Banda inherited the mess and immediately fell behind. Andrés Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before scoring the runner 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 the pitcher out of the game. Treinen entered next but also failed to stem the momentum: Bichette and Addison Barger punched RBI base hits through the infield, completing a four-score barrage that extended the margin to 6-1.
Blue Jays's Resilience
The Blue Jays's capacity to withstand initial setbacks and respond has characterized their whole postseason. They once again did it without Springer, the injured top-of-the-order man who left the third game after straining his right side.
Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was everything Toronto needed. Traded for mid-season while completing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner left several runners and silenced the Dodgers' potent lineup. He allowed one run on four hits and three free passes before Schneider summoned first-year left-hander Fluharty to face the heart of the order in the sixth inning. Fluharty required just four pitches to retire Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a narrow advantage that soon grew comfortable.
Former starter Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' bats continued to struggle. Los Angeles have produced only three runs over their last 20 innings, an sudden downturn for a club that ranked among MLB's top offenses all year.
Closing Moments
The Los Angeles scraped a score in the ninth when Edman grounded out to bring home Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's two-base hit put two on base. But Louis Varland finished the game without allowing a rally to develop.
After a game when the Blue Jays stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after wave upon wave of missed chances, the fourth contest was brutally effective. 6 different Blue Jays recorded base hits, five drove in runs and the team converted almost every run-scoring opportunity presented in the final stanzas.
Looking Ahead
The victory ensures the championship trophy will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not celebrated a title since Carter's iconic game-winning home run in '93. They now know they are assured a packed house in Canada on Friday night – and possibly Saturday – no matter what occurs next in LA.
Game 5 looms with the series reset and momentum swinging north. Dodgers left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Toronto's surge. Toronto counter with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Blue Jays chased Snell early in an 11-4 victory.
