LOS ANGELES – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – It was not so much the heartbreak that the resilient Toronto Blue Jays overcame on Tuesday, it was the actual pain.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a two-run home run, Shane Bieber pitched into the sixth inning and the Toronto Blue Jays got even in the World Series with a 6-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 4.
Andres Gimenez, Bo Bichette and Addison Barger each had RBI singles in a four-run seventh inning as the Blue Jays moved past the agony of an 18-inning loss in Game 3 to guarantee a Game 6 at Toronto on Friday.
The Blue Jays powered through the physical demands after a 6-hour, 39-minute game one night earlier.
“What didn’t hurt?” said 29-year-old Toronto third baseman Ernie Clement, who had two hits and scored a run. “I barely got out of bed. … But yeah, nobody felt sorry for themselves today. We got to play a World Series game.”
Shohei Ohtani pitched six-plus innings for the Dodgers in his first career World Series start and was charged with four runs on six hits and one walk with six strikeouts. After reaching base nine times in Game 3, he went 0-for-3 at the plate in Game 4 with a walk and two strikeouts.
The Dodgers’ offense has managed three runs over the past 20 innings going back to the eighth inning of Game 3.
“Whether it’s during the regular season or the postseason, my goal is to be able to pitch six innings,” Ohtani said through an interpreter. “The situation, this game, I wanted to go seven, and it was regrettable that I wasn’t able to finish that inning.”
Game 5 in the best-of-seven series is scheduled for Wednesday at Dodger Stadium.
Enrique Hernandez gave the Dodgers a 1-0 lead in the second inning on a sacrifice fly that scored Max Muncy.
The Blue Jays moved in front 2-1 in the third inning on Guerrero’s two-run shot to left-center against Ohtani. The long ball was the seventh of the postseason but the first of the World Series for Guerrero, who entered the night without an RBI in the Fall Classic.
“I was just looking for a pitch to do damage, and I saw it right there up in the zone, and I could do damage,” Guerrero said through an interpreter about hitting a home run off an Ohtani sweeper.
When Bieber struck out Ohtani on a foul tip in the third inning, it ended Ohtani’s World Series-record streak of reaching base in 11 consecutive plate appearances. Ohtani had singled in the eighth inning of Game 2, reached base all nine times in Game 3 (including two doubles and two homers) and walked in the first inning of Game 4.
“You know, we’re facing quality arms this time of the year against really good teams, and we’re facing the best of the best, so I think it’s not that easy,” Ohtani said about the Dodgers’ offense. “But at the same time, we could do at least the bare minimum to be able to put up some runs.”
Bieber (2-0) gave up one run on four hits over 5 1/3 innings with three walks and three strikeouts.
“I would have loved to give the team a couple more innings, but ultimately, it’s the World Series and a win is all that matters,” Bieber said.
Ohtani (2-1) departed from the mound in the seventh after the Blue Jays opened the inning with a single from Daulton Varsho and a double from Clement.
Dodgers left-hander Anthony Banda took over on the mound, and Gimenez greeted him with an RBI single to left, making it a 3-1 game. Ty France delivered a run-scoring groundout before Bichette and Barger added RBI hits for a 6-1 lead.
Los Angeles got back one run in the ninth on a run-scoring groundout by Tommy Edman.
Toronto played without leadoff man George Springer because of an injury to his right side that occurred in Game 3.
“I feel really good about this team every night,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “It’s hard to play 18 innings and come back and kind of flip the narrative against a very talented team and a very talented individual in Shohei Ohtani on the mound.”
– Field Level Media