Vladimir Guerrero Jr Homers off Ohtani as Blue Jays Defeat Dodgers to Level World Series at 2-2
Only 24 hours following staggering through one of the most exhausting losses in World Series history, the Blue Jays played with total control.
Guerrero crushed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber provided a steady outing as Toronto beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, squaring the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Toronto.
The Blue Jays had spent the morning of the next day dealing with their marathon third game defeat – tied for the lengthiest World Series game ever – a loss that denied them the opportunity to lead the matchup and burned through both bullpens. Manager John Schneider stated afterwards that “the Dodgers won a game, not the World Series”. A day later, his team offered convincing proof.
Early Action
The Los Angeles again struck first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, moved up on a base hit and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early score did not shake a Blue Jays club that led Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind victories this year.
They answered immediately in the third inning. Nathan Lukes hit a one away base hit to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in looking for a curveball. Shohei Ohtani threw a sweeper up and Guerrero sent it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his first extra-base hit of the World Series and his 7th homer this playoffs – a new team record – regaining the Blue Jays's lead after 13 shutout frames and shifting the tone of the game.
Ohtani's Performance
That hit also ended Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 consecutive at-bats reaching base. The dual-threat star had smashed two homers and reached safely a historic nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 comeback win. But on that night, he started on short rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the prior extra-inning game.
His fastball velocity sat below his regular-season average and he struggled more as the game progressed. Nonetheless, he displayed glimpses of his typical control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and fanning six. He even walked in the first to continue his World Series record. But the Blue Jays made him work: six base hits and four earned runs were charged to him in over six innings.
Seventh Inning Surge
The larger problem for Los Angeles was what came next when Ohtani finally lost steam.
Daulton Varsho opened the seventh with a sharp single to right field, and Ernie Clement smashed a double off the fence to put runners on with no outs. Dave Roberts had little choice but to pull the starter, who departed to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Dodgers' bullpen could not finish the escape.
Banda came into the jam and immediately fell behind. Andrés Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before driving in the runner with a base hit to left field. France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove Banda out of the game. Blake Treinen entered next but also failed to stem the rally: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger punched run-scoring base hits through the diamond, capping a four-run barrage that extended the lead to 6-1.
Toronto's Resilience
The Toronto's ability to absorb initial blows and answer has characterized their whole run. They once again did it without George Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order hitter who left the third game after straining his oblique.
Bieber, in contrast, was everything Toronto required. Traded for during the summer while finishing rehab from elbow surgery, the former award-winning winner stranded multiple runners and quieted the Dodgers' potent batting order. He allowed one run on four base hits and three walks before the manager called on rookie pitcher Fluharty to confront the heart of the order in the sixth inning. He needed just four throws to retire Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a narrow advantage that soon became comfortable.
Converted starter Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' bats continued to sputter. Los Angeles have produced only 3 scores over their last 20 innings, an sudden downturn for a team that was among MLB's elite lineups all year.
Final Innings
The Dodgers scraped a score in the ninth when Edman grounded out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Muncy's double put two on base. But Louis Varland closed it down without permitting a rally to develop.
After a night when Toronto left a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and collapsed after wave upon wave of wasted chances, the fourth contest was brutally effective. Six separate Blue Jays recorded base hits, five brought home runs and the squad cashed almost every scoring opportunity available in the final stanzas.
Next Up
The win guarantees the World Series title will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not won a title since Joe Carter's iconic walk-off home run in '93. They now know they are assured a packed crowd in Toronto on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.
Game 5 looms with the matchup reset and momentum swinging to Toronto. Los Angeles pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Blue Jays's momentum. Toronto respond with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Toronto knocked out Snell early in an 11-4 win.