LOS ANGELES — Itâ€s one thing to lose and quite another to lose over the course of six hours and 39 minutes. Thatâ€s a draining defeat, the kind of loss that can invite all kinds of second-guessing, self-loathing and seeds of doubt.
The Toronto Blue Jays famously suffered just such a loss in Game 3 of the World Series, and, despite their best arguments to the contrary, it could have broken them.
Instead, a Blue Jays team that has crafted comebacks all year might have just registered its best one yet in Game 4 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium – a convincing 6-2 victory over the Dodgers that showcased this clubâ€s mental and physical resurgence and put this best-of-seven World Series all-square at two wins apiece.
The Jays now know, no matter Wednesdayâ€s Game 5 result, theyâ€ll get to host a Game 6 at Rogers Centre on Friday night. And they know something else about themselves.
“We are a team of uncommon men,†said Jays third baseman Ernie Clement, summoning his inner Herb Brooks. “I think a normal team would have folded today. And we’re not normal. I think we’re the best team in baseball.â€
Toronto is trying to prove it against the heavily favored defending champs. That made the massive number of missed opportunities in an epic Game 3 that tied for the longest World Series game all the more difficult to swallow.
But in Game 4, with a huge early homer from October icon Vladimir Guerrero Jr., a solid start from Shane Bieber, a four-run seventh and a bullish bullpen, the American League champs came to play after having to sleep fast.
“I think that we knew it was going to be a great Series,†Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “This [Blue Jays] team is talented, they’re resilient, and they came back fighting.â€
In the early, early morning Tuesday, in the aftermath of Game 3, Blue Jays manager John Schneider was quick to remind reporters that the Dodgers “didnâ€t win the World Series, they won a game.â€
This was true. Still, it was fair to wonder how the Jays would respond to that marathon misery, which took so much out of both teams but was obviously quite a punch to the gut for a group that has advanced to this stage of the postseason together for the very first time.
Making matters more complicated for Toronto was the presence of Shohei Ohtani – the same guy who reached base a postseason-record nine times a night earlier – on the mound.
But the Blue Jays thrived by doing what they arguably do best:
Donâ€t laugh, itâ€s true. The Blue Jays led the Majors with 49 comeback wins this season, and 43 of those wins came after allowing the gameâ€s first run.
Theyâ€ve actually allowed the gameâ€s first run in every game in this World Series. This time, it came on a Kiké Hernández sacrifice fly to score Max Muncy in the second against Bieber.
What does it mean to score first in the first four games of the Series? Ask the 2004 Red Sox, 2012 Giants and last yearâ€s Dodgers. Those are the only other teams to achieve the feat, and all of them were champions.
Of course, none of those teams scored first against this Blue Jays bunch, which came back quickly in this one.
It happened in the third, when Nathan Lukes singled off Ohtani with one out and then up stepped Guerrero.
The Blue Jays†franchise face has had an epic October, but he hadnâ€t notched an extra-base hit in this World Series until Ohtani hung a 2-1 sweeper that he demolished. It rocketed out to left-center field for Vladdyâ€s seventh homer of this postseason – and those seven homers give him the Toronto record for postseason homers in a career.
“I respect Ohtani a lot,†said Guerrero through an interpreter, “and I know basically myself and him, we are, like, the talk of the Series. But when we are between those two lines, we’re competing. It felt good that tonight I could hit that homer against him.â€
That homer, which made it 2-1, was also the fourth go-ahead homer from the Jays this month while they were trailing in a series — the most such homers by a team in a single postseason.
“That swing was huge,†Schneider said. “A sweeper is a pitch designed to generate popups, in my opinion. And the swing that Vlad put on it was elite. After last night and all the recognition that went into Shohei individually and he’s on the mound today, it’s a huge swing from Vlad. It’s a huge swing to get us going.â€
Bieber, the Blue Jays†hired hand at the Trade Deadline who was acquired while completing his rehab from Tommy John surgery, pitched well with the lead. He went 5 1/3 innings, with the one run allowed on four hits with three walks and three strikeouts.
When Schneider pulled Bieber with two on and one out in the sixth, he turned to rookie lefty Mason Fluharty, who got Muncy to fly out on one pitch and Tommy Edman to strike out on three pitches to preserve the lead. Two huge outs, as it turned out.
Ohtani, meanwhile, pitched into the seventh — a remarkable feat, considering an all-time offensive performance a night earlier so drained the two-way wonder that he needed a postgame IV.
But Ohtani finally looked gassed in his final frame. Daulton Varsho lined a leadoff single to right, and Clement ripped a double off the left-field wall to put two runners in scoring position.
“It was regrettable,†Ohtani said through an interpreter, “that I wasnâ€t able to finish that inning.â€
Those loud hits compelled Roberts to go to his bullpen, first via Anthony Banda, and it didnâ€t go well. Andrés Giménez worked the count full in a terrific at-bat before depositing a single to left to score Varsho, and Clement later scored on a Ty France groundout. The big inning continued against Blake Treinen, who served up RBI singles to Bo Bichette and Addison Barger to make it 6-1.
Converted starter Chris Bassittâ€s strong relief work in the seventh and eighth held serve. And the Dodgers†late rally attempt against Louis Varland came up short.
“We just didnâ€t have an answer,†Roberts said.
The Blue Jays had spent the previous night tripping over themselves in pursuit of offense. They stranded a World Series-record 19 runners. A loss like that can feel like two.
But these comeback kids from Canada did it again.
“When you get here, you feel a little bit flat, but we found the energy,†Clement said. “It’s not too hard to get ready to go for a World Series game in Dodger Stadium. So we found it.â€
Despite the lack of sleep, they looked refreshed. And now so is this Series.
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