Less than a day following enduring one of the most draining losses in World Series history, the Toronto Blue Jays played with complete control.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run home run and Bieber provided a composed outing as Toronto beat the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, squaring the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the matchup will return to Canada.
Toronto had passed the morning of the next day dealing with their 18-inning third game defeat – equal to the lengthiest Fall Classic contest ever – a loss that denied them the chance to take the lead in the matchup and burned through both relief corps. Manager Schneider insisted afterwards that “the Dodgers won a contest, not the World Series”. A day later, his team provided emphatic evidence.
The Los Angeles again struck first. Max Muncy walked in the second inning, advanced on a base hit and crossed the plate on Hernández's fly out. But the early score did not rattle a Toronto club that topped MLB with 49 comeback wins this year.
They answered right away in the third. Lukes hit a one away base hit to centre and Guerrero stepped in looking for a curveball. Shohei Ohtani left a slider up and Guerrero drove it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his first long hit of the World Series and his seventh home run this postseason – a fresh club record – restoring the Toronto's lead after 13 shutout frames and shifting the tone of the game.
That swing also ended Ohtani's history-making run of 11 consecutive at-bats getting on base. The dual-threat phenomenon had smashed two homers and reached safely a record nine times in the Dodgers' third game comeback win. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on limited rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the previous extra-inning game.
His fastball velocity was below his regular-season norm and he struggled more as the contest wore on. Nonetheless, he showed flashes of his typical command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first to extend his Fall Classic record. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six base hits and four earned runs were charged to him in over six frames.
The bigger problem for the Dodgers was what followed when Ohtani finally lost energy.
Daulton Varsho started the seventh with a clean hit to right, and Clement smashed a double off the wall to put two on with none out. Dave Roberts had no option but to remove Ohtani, who exited to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not complete the inning.
Banda came into the mess and immediately fell behind. Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before scoring Varsho with a single to left. Ty France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove the pitcher out of the contest. Blake Treinen came in next but also failed to stem the momentum: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger punched RBI base hits through the infield, capping a four-run outburst that pushed the lead to 6-1.
The Blue Jays's capacity to withstand initial setbacks and respond has defined their whole postseason. They once again did it without Springer, the injured leadoff man who exited the third game after straining his right side.
Shane Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what Toronto needed. Acquired during the summer while completing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the former Cy Young winner left several baserunners and silenced the Dodgers' potent lineup. He gave up one earned run on four hits and three walks before the manager called on first-year left-hander Fluharty to face the core of the order in the sixth inning. Fluharty required just four throws to get out Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a fragile lead that soon grew comfortable.
Converted starter Chris Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' bats continued to sputter. The Dodgers have scored only three runs over their previous 20 innings, an sudden downturn for a club that was among MLB's elite offenses all season.
The Dodgers managed a score in the ninth when Tommy Edman hit into an out to score Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's double put runners aboard. But Louis Varland closed it down without permitting a rally to develop.
After a night when Toronto stranded a World Series-record 19 runners and collapsed after repeated of wasted opportunities, Game 4 was ruthlessly effective. Six separate Blue Jays recorded base hits, 5 drove in scores and the squad converted nearly every run-scoring opportunity presented in the final stanzas.
The victory guarantees the World Series title will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a title since Carter's iconic walk-off homer in 1993. They now know they are assured a packed house in Toronto on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what occurs next in LA.
The fifth game looms with the matchup even and energy shifting north. Los Angeles pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Blue Jays's momentum. The Blue Jays counter with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Blue Jays knocked out the starter early in an decisive victory.
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