Guerrero Blasts against Shohei Ohtani as Blue Jays See Off Los Angeles to Tie World Series at 2-2
Only 24 hours after enduring one of the most draining losses in Fall Classic annals, the Blue Jays played with total command.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber delivered a composed outing as Toronto beat the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, tying the World Series at two games each and ensuring the matchup will head back to Toronto.
Toronto had passed the early hours of the next day dealing with their 18-inning Game 3 loss – tied for the lengthiest World Series contest ever – a loss that cost them the chance to lead the series and burned through both bullpens. Manager Schneider stated afterwards that “the Dodgers won a game, not the championship”. A day later, his team provided convincing evidence.
Early Action
The Los Angeles again scored first. Max Muncy walked in the second, moved up on a base hit and scored on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the initial score did not shake a Blue Jays club that led Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind wins this season.
They responded right away in the third inning. Lukes hit a one-out base hit to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate hunting a breaking ball. Ohtani left a slider up and he sent it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his first extra-base hit of the series and his 7th home run this playoffs – a new team mark – regaining the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 shutout frames and shifting the momentum of the game.
Shohei's Night
That swing also halted Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 straight at-bats getting on base. The dual-threat star had smashed two homers and got on base a record nine times in the Los Angeles' third game walk-off. But on Tuesday, he started on short rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the previous marathon.
Ohtani fastball velocity was under his seasonal norm and he struggled more as the game progressed. Nonetheless, he displayed flashes of his usual control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and fanning six. He even walked in the first inning to extend his Fall Classic record. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six hits and four runs were credited to him in over six frames.
Seventh Inning Rally
The bigger issue for Los Angeles was what came next when Ohtani eventually lost energy.
Daulton Varsho started the seventh with a sharp single to right field, and Ernie Clement drilled a double off the wall to put runners on with no outs. Roberts had little choice but to pull the starter, who departed to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Dodgers' relief corps could not complete the inning.
Anthony Banda came into the mess and immediately trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before driving in Varsho with a base hit to left field. France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock the pitcher out of the contest. Blake Treinen came in next but also was unable to stem the rally: 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 Resilience
The Blue Jays's capacity to withstand initial setbacks and answer has characterized their entire run. They once again did it without Springer, the injured top-of-the-order man who left Game 3 after tweaking his oblique.
Shane Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what Toronto needed. Traded for mid-season while finishing rehab from elbow surgery, the ex- award-winning winner stranded multiple runners and silenced the Los Angeles' dangerous lineup. He gave up one earned run on four hits and three walks before the manager summoned first-year left-hander Mason Fluharty to confront the core of the order in the sixth inning. Fluharty needed just four throws to retire Muncy and Edman, protecting a narrow lead that quickly grew comfortable.
Converted starter Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' bats kept to struggle. The Dodgers have scored only 3 scores over their last 20 frames, an sudden slowdown for a club that was among baseball's top offenses all season.
Final Innings
The Dodgers managed a score in the ninth inning when Edman grounded out to score Hernández after a walk and Muncy's two-base hit put runners aboard. But Louis Varland closed it down without permitting a rally to develop.
Following a game when Toronto stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after repeated of missed opportunities, Game 4 was ruthlessly effective. 6 separate Blue Jays recorded base hits, five brought home scores and the squad converted almost every run-scoring opportunity available in the late innings.
Looking Ahead
The win guarantees the championship trophy will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not won a title since Joe Carter's iconic walk-off homer in '93. They now know they are assured a packed house in Toronto on Friday evening – and possibly Saturday – no matter what happens next in LA.
The fifth game looms with the matchup even and momentum shifting north. Dodgers left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Blue Jays's momentum. The Blue Jays counter with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Toronto knocked out the starter quickly in an 11-4 victory.
