Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Vladimir Guerrero Jr. blasted a two-run home run as the Toronto Blue Jays bounced back to defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 and tie the World Series at two games apiece on Tuesday. Less than 24 hours after a shattering 18-inning game three loss, the Blue Jays climbed off the canvas to breathe new life into their hopes of a first Major League Baseball title in 32 years.
Guerrero’s two-run blast off Dodgers starter Shohei Ohtani and a superb pitching performance from ace Shane Bieber laid the foundations for a gutsy victory that silenced Dodger Stadium. “I’m always trying to compete for my city, compete for the team, and when you’re competing, good things happen,” said Guerrero after a victory that ensures the best-of-seven series will head back to Toronto for game six on Friday.
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Blue Jays manager John Schneider praised his team’s ability to recover from Monday’s heartbreak. “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,” Schneider said. “I feel really good about just us. I feel good about us every night.”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts paid tribute to the Blue Jays’ resilience. “We knew it was going to be a great series,” Roberts said. “This team is talented, they’re resilient, and they came back fighting… We just didn’t have an answer.”
With both teams having drained their respective bullpens in Monday’s marathon epic — the joint longest game in World Series history — Bieber provided valuable length for the Blue Jays. The 30-year-old former American League Cy Young Award winner threw 5.1 innings with three strikeouts, giving up just one run. Ohtani, meanwhile, who had bludgeoned two home runs and got on base a record nine times in Monday’s 6-5 walkoff victory, delivered six strikeouts across six innings and was charged with four runs.
And Ohtani and the rest of the Dodgers bats went ice-cold offensively, managing just six hits and two runs in nine innings. Ohtani said he had felt no weariness after Monday’s heroics but admitted the Dodgers offense had under-performed.
“We’re facing quality arms this time of the year against really good teams, and we’re facing the best of the best, so it’s not that easy,” Ohtani said. “But at the same time, we could do at least the bare minimum to be able to put up some runs.”
Roberts echoed Ohtani’s critique of the offense. “We haven’t found our rhythm,” he said. “It sort of draws dead at certain parts of the lineup, different innings, different games.” Instead, it was the Blue Jays’ deep and disciplined line-up — missing injured leadoff hitter George Springer — who once again bided their time before pouncing on the vulnerable Dodgers bullpen.
After Guerrero’s two-run homer cancelled out Enrique Hernandez’s sacrifice fly that had given the Dodgers an early 1-0 lead, the game remained in the balance until the seventh inning. Ohtani began the inning and gave up singles to Daulton Varsho and Ernie Clement, leaving the Blue Jays with runners on second and third with no outs. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts promptly withdrew Ohtani for reliever Anthony Banda, and the Blue Jays cut loose.
Short-stop Andres Gimenez and pinch-hitter Ty France singled in rapid succession to make it 4-1, knocking Banda out of the game. Banda’s replacement, Blake Treinen, fared little better, giving up singles to Bo Bichette and Addison Barger to complete a four-run scoring burst that left Toronto 6-1 up. The Dodgers never looked like threatening the Blue Jays’ five-run cushion, and it was left to Toronto reliever Chris Bassitt to run through the bottom of the seventh.
Bassitt cruised through the eighth inning as the Dodgers bats once again failed to fire. The Dodgers flirted with an improbable rally in the ninth inning after Teoscar Hernandez drew a leadoff walk followed by a double from Max Muncy. Tommy Edman grounded out to score Hernandez, but closer Louis Varland mopped up the rest of the inning to give the Blue Jays a crucial win.
Game five of the best-of-seven series takes place at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday before the series heads back to Toronto for games six and seven on Friday and Saturday.
© 2024 AFP
