After Monday’s 18-inning marathon, it was logical to believe that the Blue Jays were going to go out to the Dodger Stadium field pretty beat up for Game 4 of the World Series. The American League champions showed fortitude and rather It was the Dodgers who found themselves sleepless on the field.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a home run off Shohei Ohtani to put his team ahead early and Four Toronto pitchers combined for a 6-hitter in a 6-2 victorytying the October Classic at two wins apiece and ensuring that the series returns to Canada for at least a sixth game.
Ohtani, who reached base nine times in Monday’s game, was hitless in three at-bats this time and walked only one, leading off the game.
In game 5 of the series, scheduled for this Wednesday at 5 pm PT at Dodger Stadium, The duel from the first game will be repeated: Blake Snell for Los Angeles and rookie Trey Yesavage for Toronto. The Dodgers need the version of Snell seen in the series against Philadelphia and Milwaukee. Toronto scored 5 runs on him in 5 innings on Friday.
Hernández leads Dodgers; Guerrero Jr. does the somersault
The Dodgers were the first to score for the fourth consecutive game in the World Series and they did so by capitalizing on a walk by starter Shane Bieber, who walked Max Muncy after one out in the second inning. Tommy Edman followed with a single that sent the runner to third base, from where Enrique Hernández drove him in with a sacrifice fly to right field to make it 1-0.
But on Toronto’s next drive came the somersault. Ohtani allowed a hit by Nathan Lukes with one out and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. did not forgive a slow pitch from Ohtani, a sweeper that was left hanging at home plate to send the ball over the left wall.
It was a matter of time before the powerful Dominican became present in the batter’s box. It was Guerrero Jr.’s seventh home run in these playoffs and put his team up 2-1 in the third inning.
Openers Bieber and Ohtani did their thing
The game came of age and the starting pitchers remained on the mound, one of the conditions for their teams after the wear and tear of the pitching bodies in the previous game. After 5 innings, Bieber had thrown 75 pitches with only two hits allowed, while Ohtani had 76 shots and four hits against him.
The Japanese completed the sixth by striking out Mexican Alejandro Kirk with his 90th pitch. The catcher born in Tijuana was finally able to be controlled by the Dodgers (0 for 4, 1 walk).
Bieber, for his part, couldn’t get out of the sixth inning. Freddie Freeman reached base with a strong grounder that first baseman Guerrero could not field for a hit and after a line out he received a single from Teoscar Hernández.
The Dodgers’ contact became solid and manager John Schneider pulled the Southern California native. after 5.1 innings of excellent work (4 hits, 1 run, 3 strikeouts and 3 bases). The move worked for the visiting team, as left-handed reliever Mason Fluharty extinguished the threat.
Toronto scores four big runs in the seventh
And Ohtani’s start would end soon in the seventh inning when he received a double against the wall by Ernie Clement that put runners in scoring position with no out. The reliever Anthony Banda was greeted with an RBI single from Venezuelan Andrés Giménez to make it 3-1.
A pinch-hitter Ty France’s grounder to second drove in Clement with Toronto’s fourth run. Ohtani’s work ended with 6 innings, 6 hits, 4 earned runs, 6 strikeouts and 1 base. He threw 93 pitches (60 strikes) one night after playing nearly seven hours.
The Dodgers needed the bullpen to limit the damage, but Blake Treinen, who relieved Banda for the final out of the inning, did not respond.
The hero of game 5 of last year’s World Series allowed consecutive RBI hits to Bo Bichette and Addison Barger in a three-pitch span to open the score to 6-1 and the return of the World Series to Canada became imminent.
The hopes of the National League champions evaporated when Will Smith hit into a double play in the eighth inning against the wonderful reliever Chris Bassitt, who pitched two scoreless innings before giving up the mound to Louis Varland.
The Dodgers scored a run on him in Tommy Edman’s producer track with two runners on boardbut Varland struck out Kiké Hernández and dominated Alex Call to end the game, one that turned out much different than what many imagined after Monday night’s drama.
News in development.
Keep reading:
– “This game was incredible”: Freddie Freeman’s reaction after a new heroic home run
– Shohei Ohtani’s growing list of records in the 2025 postseason
– Mookie Betts receives baseball’s highest honor: the Roberto Clemente Trophy