LOS ANGELES — The Blue Jays had simply misplaced an 18-inning affair by which that they had the Dodgers on the ropes a number of occasions. They had been trailing 2-1 within the best-of-seven World Sequence with an exhausted bullpen. One in every of their finest hitters was out of Recreation 4 with an damage and one other certainly one of their finest hitters is taking part in damage. If the beginning pitcher faltered in Recreation 4, the collection was doubtless pretty much as good as over — as a result of good luck beating these Dodgers thrice in a row.
The ball was given to Shane Bieber, and the veteran righty bested Shohei Ohtani. And now with a 6-2 Blue Jays win, the 2025 World Sequence is tied at two video games apiece. The Fall Basic has been shrunk right down to a three-game collection. It’ll finish in Toronto this weekend.
“There is not any alternative,” Bieber mentioned after the sport of needing to step up after the 18-inning Recreation 3 marathon. “What, are you going to really feel sorry for your self? It is the World Sequence, proper? We’re down one sport. So now we discover ourselves even, with an opportunity to take the lead, and take the lead again to Toronto after tomorrow. So, yeah, there wasn’t a lot to say. Guys had been drained. We left all of it on the market final evening, and all people’s pleased with one another. It was a grueling sport, however on the identical time you bought to have the ability to flip the web page, and we had been ready to try this and present up at this time with an pleasure to go win one other World Sequence sport. In order that’s the place we discovered ourselves. We actually really feel like we have no alternative, and we proceed to grind and proceed to play for one another and we’ll discover ourselves in a great spot.”
Bieber wasn’t within the Blue Jays rotation a lot this season. He wasn’t even on the staff on the midway level. The previous Guardians ace was rehabbing from Tommy John surgical procedure coming into this season, his remaining yr underneath contract with Cleveland (there is a $16 million participant possibility for subsequent yr). The Blue Jays took a low-risk flier on him on the commerce deadline, grabbing him in trade for a Double-A pitcher named Khal Stephen. Bieber ended up turning into the primary pitcher ever to overlook the primary four-plus months of the season through damage after which win a World Sequence sport.
The thought course of on the time of the commerce won’t have essentially been “Bieber will begin what is actually a must-win within the World Sequence,” however absolutely there was an purpose to have him prepared and obtainable to make some big begins down the stretch and into the playoffs.
“We did not initially comprehend it was gonna be Recreation 4 of the World Sequence,” Kevin Gausman mentioned with amusing. “Having a man of his experience, his stature as a Cy Younger winner, you are feeling fairly assured. He could make an adjustment, too, being not as crisp within the first, along with his capacity to seek out his breaking ball.”
Bieber allowed a second-inning run on a sacrifice fly from Enriqué Hernández earlier than locking in. His remaining line: 5 ⅓ innings, 4 hits, one earned run, three walks, three strikeouts.
“For a man that obtained right here on the deadline, he is — I imply, to me, he looks like he matches in rather well,” supervisor John Schneider mentioned after the sport. “It is a actually good complement to the starters that we have now right here, and it is so good to have a gaggle like that, that simply type of get it, you understand? It is not a simple factor to do, get traded from the one staff you have been with after which simply have your life type of flipped the wrong way up in a brand new nation and issues, with a household. However he simply settled in rather well, and these are the spots that we acquired him for. And it is asking a variety of him, primarily based on what he is been by with the restoration from the surgical procedure and stuff. However he is having fun with it and he is embracing it and he is been an enormous a part of us getting right here.”
Once more, if Bieber had faltered early on this sport, you might in all probability shut the door on the Blue Jays’ probabilities to win their first title in 32 years. Piecing collectively a marathon from the bullpen once more wasn’t going to fly, and the Dodgers are in all probability too good to take down three straight video games. Bieber stepped up, although.
“We now have confidence in him anytime he goes on the market,” mentioned Gausman.
“He is superior,” mentioned Ernie Clement. “He simply saved them off steadiness all evening and made it straightforward for us on protection. Simply an superior sport.”
Actually, it’s important to credit score the whole Blue Jays staff. They fell behind early however bounced again. We have seen them rebound repeatedly. It occurred so many occasions within the common season. They got here again from an 0-2 gap within the ALCS in opposition to the Mariners after which received Video games 6 and seven after returning to Toronto following a gut-punch of a loss in Recreation 5. They had been trailing in Recreation 1 of the World Sequence earlier than having an offensive explosion. And now, after an 18-inning loss that would have been devastating, they went out and hit the ball exhausting and obtained nice pitching and protection. Oh, and did we point out that certainly one of their finest offensive gamers (George Springer) is damage?
Irrespective of. The Blue Jays bounced again and evened the collection.
“I feel this can be a quote from Herb Brooks,” mentioned Clement, citing the hockey coach who famously received the gold medal with the 1980 USA Olympic staff. “However we’re a staff of unusual males. I feel a standard staff would’ve folded at this time and we aren’t regular. I feel we’re one of the best staff in baseball and we obtained off the bed at this time with our hair on fireplace and able to play.”
“It did sting. We poured our hearts into that sport, everybody,” mentioned Recreation 3 starter Max Scherzer, who famous that the loss wasn’t fairly the intestine punch it appeared like from the surface. “What we noticed from everybody on this clubhouse gave us cause to imagine in one another. We responded in a giant manner tonight.”
Bieber was entrance and heart. Bear in mind all that speak main as much as Recreation 4 on whether or not or not the Blue Jays would even pitch to Shohei Ohtani? Bieber did stroll Ohtani within the first inning, however after that, he struck him out twice. These had been the primary two outs Ohtani made at Dodger Stadium since NLCS Recreation 3 on Oct. 16.
“Any time you are able to do that, hold the baseball,” quipped Clement.
Bieber’s stuff wasn’t overwhelmingly dominant or something. It hasn’t been most of this yr, his first again since that surgical procedure. It is robust, that first yr again. Bieber simply did his factor with command and guile. You may say he gutted his manner by the fifth inning and into the sixth when the Jays simply desperately wanted a very good begin.
He did depart two runners behind, however Mason Fluharty got here out of the bullpen to choose Bieber up, very like Bieber picked up the whole bullpen on this one by working into the sixth inning.
“The identification of this staff, the fellows in that clubhouse,” Bieber mentioned after the sport. “It is exhausting to explain, apart from it is an absolute pleasure each day. I feel coming off of what might be a back-breaking loss final evening, it was an absolute pleasure to indicate up at this time and see guys are, no one adjustments, no one ever wavers, no one ever hesitates. It is the identical group of men each day that proceed to place the work in, proceed to compete, proceed to depend on one another, and it is an absolute pleasure to play for them.”
And whereas we have now to provide credit score to Fluharty and Chris Bassitt, usually a starter who was nails in reduction on this one, let’s not neglect Bieber. To illustrate the Jays do squeak out a detailed win in Recreation 5 with heavy workloads for his or her high relievers after which go on to win the World Sequence. Bieber shouldering the load into the sixth inning in Recreation 4 could have been very important to organising Recreation 5.
Now circle again to that commerce in July. Bieber hadn’t thrown an MLB pitch since April 2, 2024. He had solely gotten as much as 59 pitches in his minor-league rehab project whereas seeking to return from main surgical procedure. The Blue Jays thought it was value a shot to seize him.
It was properly value it. Recreation 4 of the 2025 World Sequence proved as a lot. And the Blue Jays are actually two wins away from their first World Sequence title since that legendary Joe Carter house run in 1993.
