Guerrero Homers off Ohtani as Toronto Defeat Dodgers to Level Series at 2-2
Less than a day following enduring one of the most exhausting losses in Fall Classic history, the Blue Jays played with total command.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run homer and Bieber delivered a steady start as Toronto defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, squaring the Fall Classic at two games each and ensuring the series will return to Canada.
Toronto had spent the morning of Tuesday processing their 18-inning third game defeat – tied for the longest Fall Classic contest ever – a defeat that denied them the chance to take the lead in the matchup and burned through both relief corps. Manager John Schneider insisted later that “they won a contest, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his team provided emphatic evidence.
Early Action
The Dodgers again struck first. Max Muncy walked in the second, moved up on a single and crossed the plate on Hernández's fly out. But the early score did not rattle a Blue Jays team that topped Major League Baseball with 49 comeback wins this year.
They responded right away in the third inning. Lukes lined a one away single to centre and Guerrero came to the plate looking for a curveball. Ohtani left 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 seventh home run this playoffs – a new club mark – restoring the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 shutout innings and shifting the tone of the night.
Shohei's Night
That hit also halted Shohei Ohtani's history-making run of 11 consecutive plate appearances reaching base. The dual-threat phenomenon had smashed two home runs and reached safely a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 comeback win. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on short rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the prior extra-inning game.
Ohtani pitch speed sat under his seasonal average and he struggled more as the contest progressed. Even so, he showed glimpses of his usual command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and fanning six. He even walked in the first to continue his Fall Classic record. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six hits and four earned runs were credited to him in over six innings.
Late Game Rally
The larger issue for Los Angeles was what came next when Ohtani finally ran out of steam.
Varsho opened the seventh with a sharp hit to right field, and Ernie Clement smashed a two-base hit off the fence to put two on with none out. Dave Roberts had no option but to pull Ohtani, who exited to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not finish the inning.
Anthony Banda came into the mess and immediately trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez fought to a full count before scoring Varsho with a single to left. France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove Banda out of the game. Blake Treinen came in next but also failed to stem the momentum: Bichette and Barger punched RBI base hits through the diamond, capping a four-score outburst that pushed the margin to 6-1.
Blue Jays's Resilience
The Blue Jays's capacity to absorb early blows and respond has defined their whole postseason. They once again did it without Springer, the hurt leadoff man who exited Game 3 after tweaking his right side.
Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what the Blue Jays needed. Traded for during the summer while finishing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner stranded multiple baserunners and silenced the Los Angeles' potent lineup. He gave up one run on four base hits and three walks before the manager summoned rookie left-hander Fluharty to confront the heart of the lineup in the sixth. He required just four pitches to retire Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a fragile lead that quickly grew comfortable.
Former starting pitcher Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' offense kept to sputter. The Dodgers have produced only 3 runs over their previous 20 frames, an abrupt slowdown for a club that was among MLB's elite offenses all year.
Final Moments
The Los Angeles scraped a run in the ninth inning when Edman grounded out to score Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's two-base hit put runners on base. But Louis Varland closed it down without permitting a rally to build.
Following a night when Toronto stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after repeated of missed chances, Game 4 was brutally effective. 6 different Blue Jays collected hits, five drove in runs and the squad cashed nearly every scoring chance available in the late innings.
Next Up
The victory guarantees the championship trophy will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not won a championship since Joe Carter's iconic game-winning homer in 1993. They now are aware they are assured a full crowd in Canada on Friday night – and perhaps the next day – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.
Game 5 approaches with the series reset and energy shifting to Toronto. Los Angeles pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Toronto's surge. The Blue Jays respond with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Toronto knocked out the starter early in an decisive victory.
