Guerrero Homers against Ohtani as Toronto See Off Dodgers to Tie Series at 2-2
Less than a day following staggering through one of the most draining defeats in Fall Classic annals, the Blue Jays displayed total control.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run home run and Bieber provided a steady start as the Blue Jays beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, tying the World Series at two games each and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Toronto.
Toronto had passed the morning of the next day dealing with their 18-inning third game defeat – tied for the lengthiest World Series contest ever – a loss that denied them the chance to lead the series and depleted both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider insisted afterwards that “the Dodgers won a game, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad offered convincing evidence.
Early Action
The Los Angeles again scored first. Max Muncy walked in the second inning, advanced on a base hit and scored on Hernández's fly out. But the early breakthrough did not rattle a Toronto team that led MLB with 49 come-from-behind wins this season.
They answered right away in the third. Lukes lined a one-out base hit to centre and Guerrero stepped in hunting a curveball. Ohtani threw a slider up and Guerrero sent it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his initial long hit of the World Series and his 7th home run this playoffs – a fresh team mark – restoring the Toronto's lead after 13 shutout frames and changing the tone of the game.
Ohtani's Night
That swing also halted Shohei Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 consecutive at-bats getting on base. The dual-threat phenomenon had smashed two homers and got on base a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' third game walk-off. But on Tuesday, he started on limited rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the prior extra-inning game.
His fastball velocity was below his seasonal average and he struggled more as the contest progressed. Nonetheless, he showed flashes of his typical command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to continue his World Series streak. But the Blue Jays made him work: six base hits and four earned runs were credited to him in over six frames.
Late Game Rally
The bigger problem for the Dodgers was what came next when he finally lost steam.
Varsho opened the seventh with a sharp single to right field, and Clement smashed a two-base hit off the fence to put two on with no outs. Dave Roberts had little choice but to pull the starter, who exited to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not finish the inning.
Anthony Banda came into the mess and right away trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez fought to a full count before scoring the runner with a single to left field. France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock Banda out of the game. Blake Treinen came in next but also was unable to stop the rally: Bichette and Addison Barger hit run-scoring singles through the infield, capping a four-score outburst that extended the margin to 6-1.
Blue Jays's Toughness
The Blue Jays's capacity to absorb initial blows and answer has characterized their entire run. They once again did it without Springer, the hurt leadoff hitter who left the third game after straining his right side.
Bieber, in contrast, was everything Toronto required. Acquired mid-season while completing recovery from elbow surgery, the former award-winning winner stranded several baserunners and silenced the Los Angeles' dangerous lineup. He gave up one earned run on four base hits and three walks before Schneider summoned first-year left-hander Fluharty to confront the core of the order in the sixth inning. He required just four throws to get out Muncy and Edman, protecting a narrow lead that quickly grew safe.
Former starting pitcher Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' bats kept to sputter. The Dodgers have scored only three runs over their last 20 frames, an sudden downturn for a club that was among baseball's elite lineups all season.
Final Moments
The Dodgers scraped a score in the ninth inning when Edman hit into an out to score Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's double put runners aboard. But Varland finished the game without allowing a comeback to develop.
After a night when Toronto stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and collapsed after wave upon wave of wasted opportunities, Game 4 was brutally effective. 6 separate Toronto players recorded base hits, five drove in runs and the squad cashed almost every run-scoring opportunity available in the final stanzas.
Looking Ahead
The win guarantees the championship title will be presented at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not won a title since Joe Carter's famous walk-off home run in 1993. They now are aware they are guaranteed a full house in Canada on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.
The fifth game looms with the matchup reset and momentum shifting north. Los Angeles left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Toronto's surge. The Blue Jays respond with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Toronto chased Snell quickly in an 11-4 win.
