LOS ANGELES — Win without George Springer? Check. Conquer Shohei Ohtani both at the plate and on the mound? Check. Recover from a crushing 18-inning loss in the World Series the previous night? Of course!
“We just have a play style we’re willing to die for,” Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Chris Bassitt said.
It’s tempting to call Toronto’s 6-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 4 of the Series on Tuesday night the most Jays thing ever, except these guys basically just viewed it as Game No. 177, and wore their baseball caps as blinders.
Great teams in all sports take pride in their resiliency. The Jays, however, seem to relish their ability to perform with their heads in a figurative vise. And in Game 4, that vise could not have been squeezed any tighter.
Not that the Jays showed it.
Before the game, some of them lounged in the visiting clubhouse at Dodger Stadium, playing video games. No one seemed overly concerned or even all that tired, even though the previous night they had lost a 6-hour, 39-minute marathon.
“It was pretty loose in here,” said Jays right-hander Kevin Gausman, who is pitching for his fifth club. “This is the loosest team I’ve ever been around. Nothing changed.”
Still, at that moment it was difficult to imagine right-hander Shane Bieber, 18 months after undergoing Tommy John surgery, outpitching Ohtani and striking him out twice. Or the Jays’ quick-strike offense chasing Ohtani in the seventh and piling on against Dodgers relievers Anthony Banda and Blake Treinen for a four-run inning.
The Jays, though, did this kind of thing in the regular season, leading the majors in comeback victories. They did it in the Division Series, pounding Max Fried and Carlos Rodón while beating the New York Yankees. And they did it in the American League Championship Series, rallying to defeat the Seattle Mariners after losing the first two games at home and a devastating Game 5 in Seattle.
Then came Freddie Freeman’s walk-off homer in Game 3 of the World Series.
“Coming off what could be a backbreaking loss last night, it was an absolute pleasure to show up today and see nobody changes, nobody ever wavers, nobody ever hesitates,” Bieber said.
Losing Springer, the team’s designated hitter and one of its veteran leaders, added to the degree of difficulty. Springer has played in 81 postseason games, half a regular season’s worth. But after exiting Game 3 in the seventh inning with right side discomfort, he was unavailable for Game 4.
The Jays did not reveal the results of Springer’s MRI, and would not call the injury what it probably is, some kind of issue with his oblique. They held off announcing their lineup until two hours before the game, seemingly holding out hope Springer could play. And manager John Schneider, during his in-game interview with me on Fox, offered a rather optimistic take when I asked if it was realistic that Springer could return in the Series.
“I think so,” Schneider said. “He was able to swing a little bit this afternoon and is kind of progressively feeling a little bit better as the day goes on. We’ll see how the rest of this game goes. If not today, hopefully tomorrow, he should be good to go.”
“He was able to swing a little bit this afternoon, and kinda progressively feeling better as today goes on”
John Schneider provides a promising update to @Ken_Rosenthal on George Springer, and talks about what he’s seeing from Shane Bieber so far tonight pic.twitter.com/Cf8xgbvzA7
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 29, 2025
Believe it when you see it. Springer demonstrated his toughness by getting struck in the right kneecap by a 96-mph fastball in Game 5 of the ALCS, returning after an off-day for Game 6 and hitting the go-ahead, three-run homer in Game 7. He also has played through a banged-up wrist and assorted other issues. So, when he couldn’t post Tuesday, it was telling.
Not to worry. Nathan Lukes substituted for Springer in the leadoff spot and hit two singles off Ohtani. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. moved up to the No. 2 spot and drilled a two-run shot off Ohtani in the third inning to give the Jays a 2-1 lead. Bo Bichette, who returned in this Series after an absence of nearly seven weeks due to a sprained left knee, batted third and contributed a walk and RBI single.
Replacing Springer as the designated hitter benefited Bichette, who experienced discomfort playing second base for the first time as a major leaguer in this Series. But any relief to his knee went only so far. “I’m not really expecting to make huge progress while I’m playing,” Bichette said. “I’m doing what I can.”
Yet, Bichette is adamant about contributing, even though he is less than 100 percent, even as he prepares to become a free agent for the first time. He figures that if he suffers a setback, the worst-case scenario is that he will accept a short-term deal, then rebuild his value next season at age 28. But to win a World Series, he said, “I’ll risk it all.”
That kind of spirit is common among players in the postseason. Schneider, though, has said the Jays’ unique vibe became evident in the early days of spring training. And the level of care Schneider and his coaching staff show their players also helps brings everyone closer.
Bieber started Game 3 in both the DS and LCS, but the Jays chose Max Scherzer for that game in the final round, pushing Bieber back to Game 4. Schneider said he wanted Bieber, in his first season back from Tommy John, to get seven days rest instead of six. But that wasn’t the Jays’ only motivation.
Schneider and pitching coach Pete Walker also were mindful of being fair to Bieber, knowing how much he had given them since his arrival in a deadline trade, knowing he is likely to decline his $16 million player option and hit the free-agent market.
“Schneid said that,” Bieber said. “I said I appreciated you looking out for me. But what’s good for me is winning a World Series. Whatever decision you make, I’m ready to go.”
So Game 4 it was, and Bieber opened the night ominously, walking Ohtani. But he wound up allowing only one run in 5 1/3 innings, throwing a delightful mix of 27 percent fastballs, 27 percent cutters, 17 percent knuckle curves, 15 percent sliders and 14 percent changeups.
Bieber said he didn’t really have his slider. He managed only five swings and misses. But he still flummoxed the Dodgers in what he called “the biggest start of my career.”
When I asked Bieber in our postgame interview what makes the Jays so resilient, he said, “we don’t care,” then talked about how the Jays are equipped to handle Springer’s absence because so many of their players make a difference.
“Biggest start of my career.”@BlueJays starter Shane Bieber joined @Ken_Rosenthal after earning the win in Game 4 of the World Series! pic.twitter.com/IqmIzbPgkF
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 29, 2025
Bassitt went further.
“We established from very early on that we wanted to be an old-school team,” he said. “And it’s paid off all year. Just because we’re in the World Series doesn’t mean we’re going to change that thought. We genuinely believe in the way we play baseball.”
The Jays’ style is not revolutionary. They place an emphasis on defense. Their hitters rarely strike out and grind down opposing starters. Their pitchers, particularly their relievers, aren’t always effective. But the rotation evolved with the trade for Bieber, improved health of Scherzer and promotion of Game 5 starter Trey Yesavage. And now, the team is two wins away from its first championship in 32 years, with the Series assured of returning to Toronto for at least Game 6.
“You can probably go around the whole room. At some point in time, everyone has had their back against the wall,” Scherzer said. “Yet we’ve come back and found a way to get outs again, go get hits, win another ballgame. For us to be able to do it like this tonight kind of speaks to our season.”
A season that is still going, no matter how many blows the Jays absorb.
First Appeared on
Source link
