Less than a day after enduring one of the most exhausting losses in Fall Classic annals, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed total command.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run home run and Bieber delivered a composed start as the Blue Jays defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, tying the World Series at two games each and ensuring the matchup will return to Canada.
The Blue Jays had passed the morning of Tuesday dealing with their marathon Game 3 loss – equal to the lengthiest World Series game ever – a defeat that cost them the chance to lead the matchup and depleted both relief corps. Manager Schneider stated afterwards that “they took a contest, not the World Series”. A day later, his squad provided convincing evidence.
The Los Angeles again scored first. Muncy walked in the second, moved up on a single and scored on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial score did not shake a Blue Jays team that led Major League Baseball with 49 comeback wins this season.
They responded right away in the third. Lukes hit a one-out single to center field and Guerrero came to the plate hunting a curveball. Shohei Ohtani threw a sweeper up and he drove it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his first extra-base hit of the World Series and his 7th homer this playoffs – a fresh club mark – regaining the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 shutout innings and shifting the momentum of the game.
That hit also ended Shohei Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 straight at-bats reaching base. The two-way star had hit two homers and got on base a record nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 walk-off. But on that night, he started on limited rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the previous extra-inning game.
His fastball velocity was under his regular-season average and he labored more as the game progressed. Even so, he displayed glimpses of his usual command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first to extend his World Series record. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six hits and four earned runs were charged to him in six-plus frames.
The bigger problem for the Dodgers was what followed when he eventually lost energy.
Varsho started the seventh with a clean hit to right field, and Ernie Clement smashed a two-base hit off the fence to put two on with no outs. Dave Roberts had no option but to remove the starter, who exited to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not finish the inning.
Banda came into the jam and right away fell behind. Andrés Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before scoring Varsho with a single to left. France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock Banda out of the contest. Treinen came in next but also was unable to stem the momentum: Bichette and Addison Barger hit RBI singles through the infield, completing a four-run barrage that pushed the lead to 6-1.
The Toronto's ability to absorb initial setbacks and answer has defined their entire run. They once again succeeded without Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order man who left Game 3 after tweaking his oblique.
Bieber, meanwhile, was everything the Blue Jays needed. Acquired during the summer while finishing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the former Cy Young winner left multiple runners and silenced the Dodgers' dangerous lineup. He gave up one earned run on four hits and three walks before the manager called on rookie pitcher Mason Fluharty to confront the heart of the lineup in the sixth. He required just 4 throws to retire Max Muncy and Edman, protecting a fragile lead that soon became safe.
Former starting pitcher Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' offense kept to sputter. Los Angeles have produced only 3 scores over their previous 20 innings, an sudden downturn for a club that ranked among MLB's top lineups all season.
The Dodgers managed a score in the ninth inning when Edman grounded out to score Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's double put runners on base. But Louis Varland closed it down without allowing a comeback to build.
After a night when the Blue Jays stranded a World Series-record 19 runners and fell apart after repeated of wasted opportunities, Game 4 was brutally efficient. Six different Toronto players collected base hits, five brought home scores and the squad cashed almost every scoring opportunity presented in the late stanzas.
The win guarantees the championship title will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not won a title since Carter's iconic walk-off home run in 1993. They now are aware they are guaranteed a full crowd in Canada on Friday night – and perhaps the next day – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.
The fifth game looms with the series even and energy shifting north. Los Angeles left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Blue Jays's surge. Toronto counter with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Toronto chased the starter quickly in an 11-4 victory.
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