Less than a day following staggering through one of the most exhausting defeats in Fall Classic annals, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed total control.
Guerrero crushed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber delivered a composed start as Toronto defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, squaring the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Canada.
Toronto had passed the morning of Tuesday dealing with their 18-inning third game defeat – tied for the lengthiest Fall Classic contest ever – a defeat that cost them the opportunity to lead the series and depleted both relief corps. Manager Schneider stated afterwards that “they won a game, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad offered emphatic proof.
Initial Innings
The Los Angeles again scored first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second, advanced on a single and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early score did not rattle a Toronto club that led MLB with 49 comeback victories this season.
They answered right away in the third. Lukes lined a one away base hit to center field and Guerrero stepped in looking for a breaking ball. Ohtani threw a slider up and Guerrero sent it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his first long hit of the series and his 7th homer this postseason – a new club record – restoring the Blue Jays's lead after 13 scoreless innings and shifting the tone of the game.
Ohtani's Performance
That hit also ended Shohei Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 consecutive at-bats getting on base. The two-way phenomenon had hit two homers and got on base a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' third game walk-off. But on that night, he started on short rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the previous extra-inning game.
His pitch speed was under his seasonal norm and he struggled more as the contest progressed. Even so, he showed flashes of his typical control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and fanning six. He even walked in the first inning to continue his Fall Classic record. But the Toronto made him work: six base hits and four earned runs were charged to him in six-plus frames.
Seventh Inning Rally
The bigger issue for the Dodgers was what came next when he eventually lost steam.
Varsho started the seventh with a clean hit to right, and Clement drilled a two-base hit off the fence to put two on with none out. Roberts had no option but to pull the starter, who departed to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not finish the inning.
Banda inherited the jam and immediately fell behind. Giménez fought to a full count before driving in Varsho with a single 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 was unable to stem the rally: Bichette and Addison Barger hit RBI singles through the infield, capping a four-score outburst that extended the margin to 6-1.
Blue Jays's Resilience
The Toronto's ability to withstand initial blows and answer has characterized their entire postseason. They once again did it without George Springer, the hurt leadoff hitter who exited the third game after tweaking his oblique.
Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what Toronto needed. Acquired mid-season while completing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the former Cy Young winner left multiple baserunners and silenced the Dodgers' potent lineup. He allowed one earned run on four base hits and three free passes before the manager summoned first-year left-hander Mason Fluharty to face the heart of the lineup in the sixth inning. He needed just four throws to retire Muncy and Edman, preserving a narrow lead that quickly became comfortable.
Converted starter Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' offense continued to sputter. Los Angeles have produced only three runs over their previous 20 innings, an sudden slowdown for a team that ranked among baseball's elite offenses all season.
Final Moments
The Los Angeles scraped a score in the ninth when Tommy Edman hit into an out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's double put two aboard. But Varland closed it down without allowing a rally to develop.
Following a night when Toronto stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after repeated of wasted chances, the fourth contest was ruthlessly efficient. Six different Toronto players collected base hits, 5 drove in scores and the squad cashed almost every run-scoring opportunity presented in the final stanzas.
Looking Ahead
The win ensures the championship trophy will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not celebrated a title since Joe Carter's iconic walk-off home run in '93. They now know they are guaranteed a full house in Canada on Friday night – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.
The fifth game looms with the matchup even and momentum swinging to Toronto. Los Angeles pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Blue Jays's surge. Toronto respond with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Toronto chased Snell quickly in an 11-4 victory.
