Guerrero Blasts off Shohei Ohtani as Toronto Defeat Dodgers to Tie Series at 2-2
Less than a day following enduring one of the most exhausting defeats in Fall Classic history, the Blue Jays displayed complete control.
Guerrero crushed a two-run homer and Bieber provided a steady outing as the Blue Jays beat the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, tying the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Canada.
Toronto had spent the morning of Tuesday processing their marathon Game 3 loss – tied for the lengthiest Fall Classic game ever – a defeat that denied them the chance to lead the series and burned through both bullpens. Skipper Schneider stated afterwards that “they won a game, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad provided emphatic evidence.
Early Innings
The Los Angeles again struck first. Muncy walked in the second, advanced on a single and scored on Hernández's fly out. But the initial score did not rattle a Blue Jays team that topped MLB with 49 comeback victories this year.
They answered right away in the third. Nathan Lukes hit a one away base hit to center field and Guerrero came to the plate hunting a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani threw a slider up and he sent it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his initial long hit of the World Series and his seventh homer this playoffs – a fresh team record – regaining the Toronto's advantage after 13 shutout innings and changing the tone of the game.
Shohei's Performance
That hit also ended Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 straight plate appearances reaching base. The dual-threat star had smashed two homers and got on base a historic nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 comeback win. But on that night, he took the mound on short rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the prior marathon.
His fastball velocity was under his regular-season average and he struggled more as the contest progressed. Even so, he showed flashes of his usual command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first to continue his Fall Classic record. But the Blue Jays made him work: six base hits and four earned runs were credited to him in six-plus frames.
Seventh Inning Rally
The larger issue for the Dodgers was what followed when he finally lost steam.
Varsho started the seventh inning with a sharp single to right field, and Ernie Clement drilled a two-base hit off the fence to put runners on with no outs. Dave Roberts had little choice but to remove Ohtani, who exited to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Dodgers' relief corps could not complete the escape.
Banda came into the mess and right away fell behind. Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before driving in Varsho with a base hit to left. Ty France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock the pitcher out of the game. Blake Treinen entered next but also failed to stop the momentum: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger hit RBI base hits through the infield, capping a four-score outburst that pushed the margin to 6-1.
Toronto's Toughness
The Toronto's capacity to absorb early setbacks and answer has defined their entire run. They once again did it without George Springer, the hurt leadoff hitter who exited Game 3 after straining his oblique.
Shane Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what Toronto needed. Traded for mid-season while completing recovery from elbow surgery, the former award-winning winner left several baserunners and silenced the Dodgers' dangerous lineup. He allowed one run on four base hits and three walks before Schneider summoned rookie pitcher Mason Fluharty to face the heart of the lineup in the sixth. Fluharty required just 4 throws to retire Max Muncy and Edman, protecting a narrow lead that soon became safe.
Former starter Chris Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' offense kept to sputter. Los Angeles have scored only 3 runs over their last 20 frames, an abrupt slowdown for a club that was among MLB's top offenses all season.
Final Innings
The Los Angeles scraped a score in the ninth when Edman grounded out to bring home Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's double put runners aboard. But Louis Varland finished the game without allowing a comeback to develop.
After a game when Toronto stranded a World Series-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after repeated of missed opportunities, Game 4 was brutally efficient. 6 different Blue Jays collected hits, five brought home scores and the team converted nearly every scoring opportunity presented in the late innings.
Next Up
The win guarantees the World Series trophy will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not won a championship since Carter's famous game-winning home run in '93. They now know they are assured a packed crowd in Toronto on Friday night – and possibly the next day – no matter what occurs next in LA.
Game 5 approaches with the series reset and energy shifting north. Los Angeles pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Toronto's surge. The Blue Jays counter with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Toronto knocked out the starter quickly in an decisive win.
