Guerrero Homers against Shohei Ohtani as Toronto Defeat Dodgers to Tie Series at 2-2
Less than a day following staggering through one of the most draining defeats in World Series history, the Blue Jays displayed total command.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run home run and Bieber provided a composed outing as the Blue Jays defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, squaring the World Series at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the series will head back to Canada.
Toronto had passed the morning of Tuesday processing their marathon third game defeat – tied for the longest Fall Classic contest ever – a defeat that cost them the chance to take the lead in the series and burned through both bullpens. Manager Schneider insisted later that “they won a contest, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his team provided convincing proof.
Initial Innings
The Los Angeles again scored first. Muncy drew a walk in the second, advanced on a single and scored on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the early breakthrough did not rattle a Blue Jays club that topped Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind victories this year.
They answered right away in the third. Nathan Lukes hit a one away single to center field and Guerrero came to the plate looking for a curveball. Shohei Ohtani left a slider up and he drove it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his initial long hit of the World Series and his 7th homer this playoffs – a new team record – restoring the Toronto's lead after 13 shutout frames and shifting the momentum of the night.
Shohei's Night
That hit also ended Ohtani's history-making run of 11 straight plate appearances getting on base. The two-way phenomenon had hit 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 recover from the previous marathon.
Ohtani pitch speed was below his regular-season norm and he labored more as the game wore on. Even so, he displayed glimpses of his typical control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero'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 hits and four runs were credited to him in over six innings.
Late Game Rally
The bigger issue for the Dodgers was what came next when Ohtani eventually lost steam.
Daulton Varsho opened the seventh inning with a sharp single to right field, and Clement drilled a double off the fence to put runners on with none out. Roberts had no option but to remove the starter, who departed to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not complete the inning.
Anthony Banda inherited the jam and right away fell behind. Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before driving in Varsho with a single to left. Ty France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove the pitcher out of the game. Treinen entered next but also was unable to stop the momentum: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger hit RBI base hits through the infield, completing a four-run barrage that extended the margin to 6-1.
Blue Jays's Toughness
The Toronto's capacity to absorb initial setbacks and respond has defined their whole postseason. They once again did it without George Springer, the hurt leadoff man who left Game 3 after straining his oblique.
Bieber, meanwhile, was everything Toronto needed. Acquired mid-season while finishing recovery from elbow surgery, the former Cy Young winner stranded multiple runners and quieted the Dodgers' potent lineup. He allowed one earned run on four hits and three walks before Schneider summoned rookie left-hander Mason Fluharty to face the heart of the order in the sixth inning. He needed just four throws to retire Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a fragile advantage that soon grew comfortable.
Former starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' offense kept to struggle. Los Angeles have scored only 3 scores over their last 20 innings, an sudden slowdown for a team that ranked among MLB's elite offenses all season.
Final Innings
The Los Angeles scraped a score in the ninth when Edman hit into an out to score Hernández after a walk and Muncy's two-base hit put two on base. But Varland closed it down without allowing a rally to develop.
Following a night when the Blue Jays stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after repeated of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was brutally efficient. 6 different Blue Jays recorded hits, 5 brought home runs and the team cashed almost every scoring opportunity available in the late innings.
Next Up
The victory ensures the championship title will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not won a championship since Carter's famous game-winning home run in 1993. They now know they are guaranteed a full house in Toronto on Friday evening – and perhaps the next day – no matter what happens next in LA.
The fifth game looms with the matchup reset and energy shifting north. Dodgers pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Blue Jays's momentum. Toronto respond with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Blue Jays knocked out Snell early in an 11-4 victory.