Vlad Guerrero Jr. has his big World Series moment as Jays pull even

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LOS ANGELES — Vlad Guerrero Jr. has always appreciated the big stage as he navigated the sometimes bumpy path to superstardom in his sport.

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But the All-Star Game and the Home Derby have nothing to do with the World Series, especially in light of the bright lights of Dodger Stadium and the enormous implications of Tuesday night's Game 4, a contest that a tired and shorthanded Blue Jays team was deeply desperate to win.

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But Guerrero had success not only in the biggest game of the 121st Fall Classic, but also in watching the sport's biggest star, Dodgers starter Shohei Ohtani.

Guerrero's double off the two-way Japanese phenom in the third inning will go down in history as one of the most important home runs in a series filled with them, as it propelled the Jays to a 6-2 victory, thus tying the series at two wins apiece.

It was such a gutsy triumph for the Jays after a crushing 18-inning loss the night before, a triumph of will in which they once again demonstrated the impressive character that had carried the group so close to the title.

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And because of it, they trimmed this increasingly compelling World Series to within three wins. Guerrero's hit sailed over center field, ensuring that the World Series would not only return to Toronto, but would end there in Game 6 or 7 this weekend.

So yes, in what a timely and series-changing moment it was, it was Guerrero's seventh belt of the postseason, setting an all-time franchise postseason record and silencing the 52,552 crowd at Chavez Ravine.

At the start of his 395-foot journey from the stadium, Ohtani winked and nodded respectfully to Guerrero as he circled the bases after driving in what would be the game-winning run.

“I have a lot of respect for Ohtani and I know he and I are the best in the series,” Guerrero said after the game. “But when we're between those two lines, we compete. It was nice that I was able to hit that homer against him tonight. But he's a great athlete.”

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As for the home run: “I was looking for a pitch to do damage on, and I got this pitch.”

The explosion at such a crucial moment—the Jays had not scored in the previous 13 innings, going back to the seventh the night before—continued Guerrero's remarkable postseason, his true emergence as a consistently producing superstar.

“He's undoubtedly one of the best players in the world,” said pitcher Chris Bassitt, who threw two scoreless innings Tuesday. “What he does is not shocking.”

And the 26-year-old star first baseman is enjoying every minute of it.

“It means a lot to me to be here at the World Series,” Guerrero said. Toronto Sun earlier in the series. “It means a lot, especially for this team. This team is special and we're trying to win everything.”

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Our takeaways from another magical night of baseball in Southern California and the Jays' victory that moved them two wins away from a third World Series title.

CREDITED BLUE JAYS

Who knows how much the Jays took advantage of the deep connection Guerrero mentions that developed during this remarkable first-place season. They have demonstrated a knack for coming back regularly, both in games and in series, and have now regained home-field advantage in the World Series.

“We’re enjoying every moment,” Guerrero said. “We play hard every time, whether we lose or win, and we believe in each other and in everyone.”

That belief was certainly put to the test after Monday's gut-wrenchingly dramatic 18-inning game, which saw both teams leave here in the wee hours of the morning exhausted and exhausted.

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Add in the fact that George Springer, who left the game with a tight back or side, was not in the lineup, and the fact that they faced Ohtani, and it was a tough assignment.

HIGHLIGHTS

Besides the Vlad moment, there were quite a few players there from a team that rarely relies on one player to carry them most nights.

Let's start with newcomer Shane Bieber, who has the most important task of his two months with the team. The right-hander, acquired at the trade deadline, pitched 5.1 innings for the Jays while allowing just one run on four hits.

Perhaps most importantly, he broke Ohtani's spell by striking him out in both the third and fifth innings. The first of these came moments after Guerrero's big homer.

Then there was a massive seventh inning in which the tired Jays desperately needed extra runs to take some of the tension out of the situation and blow it up.

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At the bottom of the list were RBI singles from Andres Jimenez and at the top was another hot single from Bo Bichette. Another from Addison Barger extended the lead to 6-1.

And a word about reliever Mason Fluharty, as the left-hander got the final two outs of the sixth, stranding a pair of Dodger runners.

What about the bullpen as a whole? On the night, after holding the Dodgers to three runs in 12.2 innings, they shut them down again. First, Fluharty pulled Bieber in the sixth, followed by two stunning shutout innings from Bassitt, who suddenly became a valuable weapon in the bullpen.

The Dodgers were able to pull within one run of Louis Varland in the ninth, but with a five-run lead entering the inning, it didn't matter.

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VLAD VS. OTANI'S DISASSEMBLY?

Who doesn't love good storytelling on sports' biggest stages? And Guerrero vs. Ohtani is definitely up there.

“I know it's easy to book Ohtani vs. Guerrero (but) for us it's Toronto vs. Los Angeles,” manager John Schneider said. “But that swing was huge. The swing that Vlad made was elte.

“After last night and all the recognition that came to Shohei individually and him on the mound today, it's a huge step on Vlad's part. It's a huge step that will help us move forward. I think it gives you some momentum.

“Vlad’s shot was a game changer.”

For his part, Guerrero clearly appreciates the superstar rivalry.

“I have a lot of respect for Ohtani and I know that he and I are the best in the series,” Guerrero said. “But when we're between those two lines, we compete. It was nice that I was able to hit that homer tonight. But he's a great athlete.”

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HOW DID THE JAYS GET TO OTANI?

First things first, that doesn't mean they hit the right-hander with any degree of authority, although they did get it for six hits and four runs in six innings.

But little by little, the Jays' hitters worked on timing with the goal of at least getting to the bullpen at some point without getting too deep into the game. The highlight of Ohtani's serve came when he hit the team in the fourth. His highlight was an 0-for-3 night at the plate with a walk.

Guerrero's homer, as crucial as it was to the Jays' survival in this franchise's third trip to the World Series, began to change any notion that this would be another Ohtani night for the ages, always feared by the Japanese superstar.

Homer also invited Nathan Lux (thanks to George Springer's absence).

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Minutes after that key hit, Bieber knocked out Ohtani to put the Dodgers in third, and how big of a difference did that make? The Japanese phenom snapped a streak of 10 consecutive on-base appearances, including nine on Monday and a first-inning walk in Game 4.

NEXT

Let's face it, the 121st World Series is getting more exciting with every game.

And now tied at 2-2, it was cut to a best-of-three with Game 5 returning here at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday to wrap up the Los Angeles portion of the series.

The Jays will send rookie Trey Yesavage to Game 5 on Wednesday, and the Dodgers will respond with Blake Snell.

Regardless, the series will return to Toronto for at least Game 6 on Friday.

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