With their backs against the wall, and the starting pitching matchup not in their favor, the Blue Jays faced a must-win game on Tuesday. Toronto had let Game 3 slip away, suffering a demoralizing loss in the 18th inning, and had fallen behind in the World Series.
But if there’s one thing this 2025 Blue Jays team excels at, it’s proving everyone wrong. Behind solid starting pitching and a headache-inducing offense, the Blue Jays evened the series at two games apiece, forcing the Fall Classic to return to Toronto for, at minimum, a Game 6 at the Rogers Centre.
Here are my takeaways:
1. Vladdy Makes Ohtani Pay
(Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. fouled off a 97 mph fastball from Shohei Ohtani that fell into the middle of the strike zone. The Blue Jays trailed the Dodgers 1-0 in the top of the third inning and Guerrero was just a little late on a good pitch to hit. Then he saw it: A hanging sweeper. From Shohei Ohtani?! Guerrero Jr. wasn’t going to miss an opportunity like that.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. crushes two-run home run off Shohei Ohtani, giving Blue Jays lead over Dodgers
Guerrero slammed it over left-center field for a two-run home run and a 2-1 Toronto lead. On the mound as he collected himself, Ohtani looked like he knew he messed up. The last home run he gave up was on Aug. 27 to Reds utilityman Noelvi Marte on a middle-middle cutter. It goes to show how rare it is when Ohtani makes a mistake on the mound. Guerrero, who picked up his seventh home run of the postseason when he clobbered it off Ohtani, was not the one to do it against.
2. Ohtani Comes Down to Earth
(Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
Running on fumes, Ohtani took the mound Tuesday for his first-career World Series start on the heels of an 18-inning victory in which he reached base nine times. Though it wasn’t ideal, Ohtani took on more than everyone else when he started anyway in Game 4. Despite all the fatigue he was no doubt feeling, the two-way phenom held up until the start of the seventh inning. Over six frames, he held the Jays to two runs (that darn Guerrero Jr. dinger) and struck out six while walking one batter. To lead off the seventh, Ohtani gave up a couple of hard knocks to Daulton Varsho and Ernie Clement, putting runners on the corners for Anthony Banda, who allowed both of his inherited runners to score.
The last time Ohtani was charged with four or more earned runs was on Aug. 20 at Colorado. Still, his teammates would agree that this loss wasn’t on him. It was the Dodgers offense, like it has too many times this October, that couldn’t come up with enough power to help make Ohtani’s effort worth it.
3. Jays’ Pesky Offense Wears L.A. Pitching Down
(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
No George Springer, no problem. This was exactly the kind of rebound the Blue Jays needed on Tuesday after their disappointing loss in Game 3. Though they held a 2-1 lead going into the seventh inning against Ohtani, it seemed like the Dodgers were on the verge of making a comeback. Instead, Toronto never gave them the chance, putting up a four-run rally the only way they know how: by wearing down opposing pitchers through old-school, contact-driven baseball.
Like we’ve seen countless times this postseason, the bottom of the Blue Jays order came through with the big hits in the form of small ball. Single. Double. Single. RBI groundout. Single. Single. Just like that, the Blue Jays stormed ahead to a 6-1 lead and took the flailing Dodgers offense, perhaps still emotionally spent from Monday night’s marathon, out of the game. It helped, of course, that guys like Bo Bichette and Addison Barger recorded clutch hits in the seventh inning, too. As usual, the Blue Jays passed the baton through the lineup — and it led to a crucial World Series win.
4. Bieber Picks Up Blue Jays bullpen
(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Shane Bieber knew he had to pitch as long as he could in Game 4 after the Blue Jays emptied their bullpen in Game 3. Toronto relievers were exhausted, and it would be problematic for manager John Schneider if he had to dip back into the bullpen early on Tuesday. This was Bieber’s game, and he had to own it. So he did. Bieber held the Dodgers to one earned run on four hits over 5.1 innings, striking out three batters and walking three. The only blemish on his final line was a sacrifice fly in the second inning.
The Blue Jays right-hander was acquired at the trade deadline for moments like this. A former Cy Young award winner with a decorated career in Cleveland, Bieber returned to form after his Tommy John surgery to make the Jays’ sneaky and under-the-radar summer pickup look that much more clever. Bieber was a major unknown, no doubt. But the Jays were willing to take the risk, and it led to a high reward.
4 ½. What’s next?
Blue Jays score four runs in 7th inning to extend lead to 6-1 over Dodgers in Game 4 of World Series
On Wednesday night, the World Series returns to the pitching matchups from Game 1. Toronto rookie Trey Yesavage will once again take on veteran southpaw Blake Snell in what will be the final game of the year at Dodger Stadium. Snell got rocked by the Blue Jays in the opener of the Fall Classic, coughing up five earned runs on eight hits in five innings. The Dodgers are hoping he’ll bounce back in Game 5, which is arguably a must-win game for them while they still have home-field advantage.
Deesha Thosar is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. The daughter of Indian immigrants, Deesha grew up on Long Island and now lives in Queens. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.
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