Blue Jays fall to Dodgers in 18 innings in Game 3 of the World Series

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LOS ANGELES — How do you measure an instant classic the likes of what unfolded over 18 unforgettable, unyielding innings at one of the great settings in all of sport Monday night, the timeless and terrific Dodger Stadium?

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You start with a stubborn slugfest to the finish, the Blue Jays and Dodgers giving everything they had in Game 3 of the World Series and yielding next to nothing.

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You think of how it started, how it ended six hours and 39 minutes after the first pitch and you think of nearly everything in between.

And ultimately you think of one of the greatest professional athletes on the planet unleashing yet another tour de force in an historic performance in an unforgettable game.

Yes, Shohei Ohtani, the Japanese superstar who transcends the game led the Dodgers early setting the stage for Freddie Freeman to smash the walkoff game winner in a 6-5 win.

A stunning afternoon, gave way to early evening here in Southern California and finally ended just before midnight gave the reigning champion Dodgers 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven 121st edition of the Fall Classic.

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When it finally concluded, it matched the longest game in World Series, also played here and won by the Dodgers back in 2018.

“We’ve done this our whole season,” Monday’s starter Max Scherzer said of the challenge that awaits to bounce back. — “This one will sting tonight, don’t get me wrong. You wouldn’t be human if it didn’t.

“The way our team functions, we’ll have a good effort (on Tuesday.)”

The game was too wild to be believed.

It included a slugfest seven innings to start, a 5-5 tie full of twists and turns and opportunities followed by 10 innings of thick with tension, toe-to-toe scoreless ball.

But in it’s own pressure-packed way, what a beaut it was, a heavyweight fight, the Super Bowl and the World Series all blended into one, a sporting spectacle the gritty and boisterous crowd of 52,564 at Dodger Stadium will never forget.

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“Absolutely incredible,” Freeman said moments after his walk-off homer to deep centre field. “I’m just glad I got the opportunity. Just pure excitement. To go six hours and 40 minutes or so, that’s as good as it gets.”

The events were mind-boggling and for those in the middle of it, surely exhausting.

And you had to feel for Jays reliever Brendon Little, who pitched gamely in the late going before allowing the winning blow.

Our takeaways from a spellbinding instant classic of a game you just didn’t want to end.

ON WITH THE SHO

Nine times the Japanese superstar came to the plate. Nine times he reached in some form.

It went like this: Double in the first, homer in the third, double in the fifth, homer in the seventh, intentional walks in the ninth, 11th, 13th and 15th and a conventional walk in the 17th.

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Why the Jays pitched to him in the seventh inning with a 5-4 lead will be a question that lingers, especially the way the rest of the night unfolded.

Before Ohtani launched a 401-foot shot over the wall in left centre, his eighth of the playoffs, he was already inflicting damage.

The Jays insistence to continue to pitch to Ohtani allowed him to make history for the storied franchise, the 12 total bases—- not counting the free passes — a single-game record for the Dodgers. His eight homers — three against the Jays now — match Corey Seager’s single post-season Dodgers record.

“You can’t explain it,” Jays infielder Ernie Clement said. “He’s the best player to ever play this game. What he did tonight, reaching base nine times, just amazing. You can’t let him beat you.”

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Still, after that second homer, the game was still tied at 5-5. The night was still young at the time.

Both teams had big hits. Both teams had blunders. Both teams had a resolve to go the distance in a game that refused to go quietly into the electric night.

HIGHLIGHT REEL OVERFLOWS

It was two different games, really, a 5-5 draw through seven innings with both teams landing punches but no knockouts.

The next game was 8.5 innings of shutout baseball, with two teams operation on fumes, getting out of jams and doing anything to stay alive.

The highlights? There were many on a back-and-forth night for both teams.

For the Jays, a three-run homer from Alejandro Kirk way back in the fourth that gave the Jays their first lead of the night.

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Their second lead came in the seventh when Bo Bichette ripped a shot down the right field line that allowed his long-time pal, Vlad Guerrero Jr. to score from first, just beating a throw to the plate from former teammate Teoscar Hernandez with Vlad slapping the plate with his hand just in time.

How about Chris Bassitt with his prowess out of the ’pen with a fist pump as he left the mound after pitching a 1-2-3 eight inning.

And then back to Kirk. After Ohtani’s intentional walk in the ninth, Kirk flashed his bullet arm to nail the superstar in his attempt to steal second. One more out from Jeff Hoffman sent the game off to extras.

By the end of the night, the Jays were operating on less than fumes, it felt like, with no remaining position players at manager John Schneider’s disposal. Physically exhausting and mentally draining, a team that arrived at Chavez Ravine at 11 a.m. and didn’t finish playing until 13 hours later will need to bounce back in a hurry.

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“A lot to unpack in that game, but I couldn’t feel as good as I do right now about the way they went about it,” Schneider said.

THE WALK OFF HERO

And then there was Freeman, the clutch Dodgers slugger who ended the 64th walk-off win in World Series history and the second in a row for Freeman, who belted a grand slam in Game 1 last year.

Freeman is the second player in World Series history with multiple walk-off hits, joining Hall of Famer Goose Goslin, who hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the 12th in Game 2 of the 1934 World Series, and a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth inning in Game 6 of the 1935 Fall Classic.

AND THEN THERE WAS PAIN

The Jays had a couple of some bad base-running blunders so costly in a tight game.

The first came way, way, way back in the second inning when Bo Bichette thought Daulton Varsho had been handed a walk — and given the called strike should have been — and started walking towards second. That resulted in an easy out for starter Tyler Glasnow, who lobbed the ball to first where an easy tag was made on Bichette.

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The second one game in the top of the ninth with Isiah Kiner-Falefa on first via a leadoff walk and one out. After Daulton Varsho singled to right, Kiner-Falefa attempted to dash to third only to get gunned down.

And they weren’t done with the bad results on the bases, either. When Nathan Lukes ripped a ball deep into the right field corner in the 10th, pinch-runner Davis Schneider attempted to score all the way from first. Instead, a pair of perfect throws gunned him down at the plate for the inning ender.

Didn’t hate the call given the opportunity for the go-ahead run and the difficulty of the defensive play required.

THE MADNESS OF MAX

What a stage it was for Jays starter Max Scherzer, who made a World Series start for a fourth team in his career.

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And the 41-year-old for the most part did his job, holding the Dodgers to three runs on five hits through 4.1 innings. After allowing a leadoff double to Ohtani to begin the game, Scherzer’s mastery kicked in as he retired the next three Dodgers hitters to keep them scoreless.

The blemishes? The first was a solo home run by former Jays slugger Teoscar Hernandez — his first hit of the season — and another to Ohtani to lead off the third.

Schneider wasn’t going to give Scherzer a third shot at the Japanese superstar however, and went to lefty Mason Fluharty out of the bullpen.

While it would have been hard to fault Schneider’s call given that Ohtani already had a double and a homer, it didn’t exactly end well for the Jays.

With the stadium bellowing in anticipation, Ohtani ripped a shot into the centre field gap, scoring Enrique Hernandez to pull the Dodgers to within a run. Two batters later, a Freeman single tied it at 4-4 and Fluharty’s night was done.

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OH THE DRAMA

The game was sick with it, as you would expect with one that went the distance.

But how about the top of the 12th when Nathan Lukes came to the plate with the bases loaded and two out? Dodgers manager Dave Roberts went to the legend — Clayton Kershaw — and Dodger Stadium went wild in nervous anticipation.

Lukes worked the count full and then hit a slow roller in the infield that Dodgers second baseman Tommy Edman scooped up and tossed and propelled the ball out of his glove to Freeman to get the out at first.

There were moments throughout for both teams. From great defensive plays, to clutch pitching that resulted in five scoreless innings between the Ohtani homer to tie it.

But how about the bottom of the 13th where the Jays truly looked doomed.

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After Tommy Edman’s leadoff double, pinch-hitter Miguel Rojas laid down a perfect bunt to move him to third. But in came another pinch-hitter, Alex Call, who popped out harmlessly to shortstop. Two down. Ohtani’s third consecutive intentional walk followed plus another to Mookie Betts.

That set up Lauer to face Freeman with the bases loaded and the game on the line yet again. A loud fly ball out to Varsho in centre ended the threat. A clutch performance from a pitcher who had been so central to the Jays success this season.

And how about this? By the end of it, Schneider had no remaining position players to put in the game.

WHAT ABOUT GEORGE SPRINGER?

The Dodger faithful won’t ever forget the 2017 World Series defeat to the Houston Astros and the subsequent sign-stealing scandal that sullied it.

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And they certainly had some lusty jeering ready for Jays leadoff man George Springer, first during player introductions and then for each of his trips to the plate.

Springer is used to the vitriol by now, but he’s never heard it as loud as what was waiting for him in this one.

Of greater concern for the Jays, though, is what happened in his third trip to the plate when he had to leave in the middle of an at-bat grabbing his right side after a wild missed swing.

After the game, Schneider described Springer’s injury as “right side discomfort” while not sounding overly bursting with optimism. And it’s hard not to imagine what sort of an impact Springer might have had as Monday’s game plodded on.

“He’s already went for a MRI,” Schneider said. “We’ll see how it comes back and see how he walks up tomorrow. But it sucks. He’s obviously a huge part of our lineup. Glad I got him out when I did and hopefully it didn’t make anything worse. But we’ll see how he is tomorrow.”

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