Blue Jays-Dodgers World Series Game 4 Thread: Shane Bieber vs Shohei Ohtani

[Brock Beauchamp]

Both bullpens absorbed an extreme workload in the 18-inning Game 3. Los Angeles used 10 pitchers, including a one-batter cameo from Clayton Kershaw, and got four scoreless innings in extras from Will Klein. Toronto ran through a long list of relievers as well; left-hander Eric Lauer covered 4 2/3 scoreless innings. Shohei Ohtani reached base nine times as the Dodgers’ designated hitter in that marathon.

Shohei Ohtani starts for the Dodgers. In this postseason, he carries a 2.25 ERA with 19 strikeouts, including six scoreless innings in the National League Championship Series clincher. Ohtani’s role is straightforward: work deep enough to bridge a bullpen that was heavily taxed in the 18-inning game. 

Shohei Ohtani vs. Toronto Blue Jays: Current Batters Table

Rk	Player	B	PA	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	SH	SF	IBB	HBP	GIDP
1	Ty France	R	20	17	3	1	0	0	1	1	3	.176	.300	.235	.535	0	0	0	2	1
2	George Springer	R	16	15	7	0	0	2	4	1	5	.467	.500	.867	1.367	0	0	0	0	1
3	Isiah Kiner-Falefa	R	13	12	3	1	0	0	0	1	3	.250	.308	.333	.641	0	0	0	0	0
4	Vladimir Guerrero Jr.	R	9	8	3	1	0	1	1	1	2	.375	.444	.875	1.319	0	0	0	0	0
5	Bo Bichette	R	6	5	2	1	0	0	2	1	3	.400	.500	.600	1.100	0	0	0	0	0
6	Myles Straw	R	6	5	0	0	0	0	0	1	3	.000	.167	.000	.167	0	0	0	0	0
7	Anthony Santander	B	5	5	3	0	0	2	3	0	1	.600	.600	1.800	2.400	0	0	0	0	0
8	Alejandro Kirk	R	3	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	.000	.000	.000	.000	0	0	0	0	0
9	Andrés Giménez	L	2	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.500	.500	.500	1.000	0	0	0	0	0

Provided by Stathead.com: Found with Stathead. See Full Results.
Generated 10/28/2025.

Shane Bieber starts for the Blue Jays. In this postseason, he owns a 4.38 ERA with 15 strikeouts. Bieber’s task is similar in concept to Ohtani’s: keep the team in the game and give as many innings as possible.

Shane Bieber vs. Los Angeles Dodgers: Current Batters Table

Rk	Player	B	PA	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	SH	SF	IBB	HBP	GIDP
1	Teoscar Hernández	R	15	15	2	2	0	0	3	0	6	.133	.133	.267	.400	0	0	0	0	0
2	Shohei Ohtani	L	13	13	2	1	0	0	1	0	6	.154	.154	.231	.385	0	0	0	0	0
3	Mookie Betts	R	9	9	1	0	0	1	1	0	3	.111	.111	.444	.556	0	0	0	0	0
4	Tommy Edman	B	6	5	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	.000	.167	.000	.167	0	0	0	0	0
5	Kiké Hernández	R	6	6	3	0	0	0	2	0	0	.500	.500	.500	1.000	0	0	0	0	0
6	Freddie Freeman	L	5	4	1	0	0	1	1	1	1	.250	.400	1.000	1.400	0	0	0	0	0
7	Michael Conforto	L	3	3	1	0	0	1	2	0	2	.333	.333	1.333	1.667	0	0	0	0	0
8	Max Muncy	L	3	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	.000	.000	.000	.000	0	0	0	0	0
9	Will Smith	R	3	3	2	1	0	0	0	0	1	.667	.667	1.000	1.667	0	0	0	0	0
10	Esteury Ruiz	R	2	2	1	1	0	0	1	0	0	.500	.500	1.000	1.500	0	0	0	0	0

Provided by Stathead.com: Found with Stathead. See Full Results.
Generated 10/28/2025.

Dodgers hitters in the World Series have produced key swings in each game. In Game 2, Will Smith and Max Muncy homered in the seventh inning. In Game 3, Teoscar Hernández and Ohtani homered early, and Freddie Freeman ended it with a walk-off home run in the 18th. Ohtani’s Game 3 line featured four extra-base hits and four intentional walks, along with the game-tying home run in the seventh. The sequence of production at the top and middle of the order has been consistent, with Smith and Muncy adding power and Freeman supplying the final swing on Monday. 

Blue Jays hitters opened the series with a decisive inning at Rogers Centre. In Game 1, Daulton Varsho homered to tie the game, Addison Barger delivered a pinch-hit grand slam, and Alejandro Kirk added a late home run. In Game 3, Kirk homered again in the fourth to push Toronto ahead at the time, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. scored from first on a Bo Bichette single off the right-field wall in the seventh. Toronto also cycled every position player into the marathon, which affected substitutions and matchups in extras.

View full article

[ComeTogether]

Need a good start from Bieber.  Keep it close.  The bullpen is good enough to hang, just don't pitch to Ohtani. 

The bats need to come alive. 

Clement, Lukes, Vladdy, Varsho etc haven't hit that well since game 1.  

[SeranthonySantander]

Last start for Bieber, big contract implications.  Also world series implications.  We have no control over the games so being upset for more than 20 minutes is futile.

[Laika]

20 minutes ago, ComeTogether said:

Need a good start from Bieber.  Keep it close.  The bullpen is good enough to hang, just don't pitch to Ohtani. 

The bats need to come alive. 

Clement, Lukes, Vladdy, Varsho etc haven't hit that well since game 1.  

Ohtani becomes a human at the plate when he is on the bump, apparently. 

Might be worth pitching to him sometimes. 

I hate giving a guy with a 25% K rate free bases. MLB pitchers should be able to pitch to him without throwing strikes. Just don't take a guy like Seranthony Dominguez and try to get him to be cute. 

[ComeTogether]

 

 

[wewlad]

MUST f***ING WIN GAME, LETS GET IT BOYS

[glory]

Have to hope Springer and Bichette are playing. Doesn’t look likely for Springer. Bichette depends on whether he was pulled last night due to injury or not. With DH possibly open now with Springer’s injury then that seems like a more logical spot for him. 

If both Springer and Bo are out, then I’m sleeping at 9:30 tonight.

[Alejandro Murphy]

Brutal loss

But after my morning coffee, went outside and touched grass, I flipped the page and realized that the Jays almost stole one from the defending Champion.  I also realized that they are beatable.   It took a number of worse managerial decisions from John Schneider; an oblique injury of Uncle George (hope he recovers quickly) and 18 innings for them to win.   They just realized, the Jays are not the Phillies or the Brewers but are legitimate title contenders.
 

We even this out tonight.

let’s Go Jays!

[Jonn]

42 minutes ago, Laika said:

Ohtani becomes a human at the plate when he is on the bump, apparently. 

Might be worth pitching to him sometimes. 

I hate giving a guy with a 25% K rate free bases. MLB pitchers should be able to pitch to him without throwing strikes. Just don't take a guy like Seranthony Dominguez and try to get him to be cute. 

I guess you missed the last game he pitched? That was anything but human.

[Jonn]

They better wear the road greys tonight. It’s time. It’s been time. But please wear them.

[Governator]

My wife kept getting the teams mixed up because of their colours and cheering when the Dodgers made a great play as she walks in.   fml

Need to go back to the bar for this one.

[neverbeenhere]

21 minutes ago, Jonn said:

I guess you missed the last game he pitched? That was anything but human.

Ohtani has not been hitting that well when he has to pitch

[rydermike]

The Ohtani Rule is ********. They should lose the DH when he comes out of the game. He shouldn't count as two separate players. If an ambidextrous pitcher is still one pitcher, a two-way player is still one player

[ComeTogether]

 

 

[ComeTogether]

1 minute ago, rydermike said:

The Ohtani Rule is ********. They should lose the DH when he comes out of the game. He shouldn't count as two separate players. If an ambidextrous pitcher is still one pitcher, a two-way player is still one player

Need a new rule for sure. 

[Spanky__99]

35 minutes ago, Governator said:

My wife kept getting the teams mixed up because of their colours and cheering when the Dodgers made a great play as she walks in.   fml

Need to go back to the bar for this one.

[Laika]

17 minutes ago, rydermike said:

The Ohtani Rule is ********. They should lose the DH when he comes out of the game. He shouldn't count as two separate players. If an ambidextrous pitcher is still one pitcher, a two-way player is still one player

The other way to think about it is he is just so good that he can play two positions "at once". 
So in a way the Dodgers are playing shorthanded when he is SP and DH. It's 9 vs 10! 

[Brownie19]

Well this is obviously our biggest test yet.  It will be the ultimate test to rally after last nights crushing defeat.  Odds are heavily stacked against them.  I think Fangraphs has us to win 46% of the time, but I think it's probably in the 15%-20% range tonight.  Our odds to win the WS are down to 24%.

[Olerud363.354]

Dodgers title will be tainted just as Raptors was in 2019.  

2019 - Durant and Thompson go down

2025 - Bichette and now Springer hobbled.

2020 - Tainted because of Covid

2024 - Tainted because 3 Yankee errors gift wrapped game 5

2025 - Tainted because of Bichette and Springer injuries. 

[Doubleplay21]

Bieber has not pitched well. I do not expect Bieber to go more than 3 because Schneider seems to panic.

[Brownie19]

3 minutes ago, Doubleplay21 said:

Bieber has not pitched well. I do not expect Bieber to go more than 3 because Schneider seems to panic.

Do you read anything you write?

"Bieber has sucked balls, but our stupid manager will panic and pull him early"

 

Remember when our manager stuck with Gausman in Game 2 and he gave up 2 HRs when facing hitters a 3rd time? 

[mphenhef]

59 minutes ago, rydermike said:

The Ohtani Rule is ********. They should lose the DH when he comes out of the game. He shouldn't count as two separate players. If an ambidextrous pitcher is still one pitcher, a two-way player is still one player

or count him as two roster spots if they want to keep the rule and pretend he is two players.

[Terminator]

Last night's game was a gut punch but this team has bounced back all year.

A great example is Game 3 against Seattle when Bieber and the team responded after dropping the first two at home.

If anything, last night showed that we can beat these guys. The Jays B-Squad only lost 1-0 vs. the Dodgers A-Team over 9 innings.

If we win tonight I think we will win the series. But we gotta win tonight.

[max silver]

5 minutes ago, Terminator said:

Last night's game was a gut punch but this team has bounced back all year.

A great example is Game 3 against Seattle when Bieber and the team responded after dropping the first two at home.

If anything, last night showed that we can beat these guys. The Jays B-Squad only lost 1-0 vs. the Dodgers A-Team over 9 innings.

If we win tonight I think we will win the series. But we gotta win tonight.

The team has been great at employing the next man up mentality all season long, but last night this really blew up in their faces as the next man up was constantly inserted into the game when there was minimal benefit to be had. With Springer possibly out for the rest of the series it's looking less and less like the Jays can piece together enough runs to win these games, but one thing I've learned is to never count them out.

[philly30]

Can;t handle another extra inning game

[Landry_25]

5 minutes ago, philly30 said:

Can;t handle another extra inning game

I’m not so sure I can handle the game itself at this point lol. Ready to crash and burn

[Terminator]

26 minutes ago, max silver said:

The team has been great at employing the next man up mentality all season long, but last night this really blew up in their faces as the next man up was constantly inserted into the game when there was minimal benefit to be had. With Springer possibly out for the rest of the series it's looking less and less like the Jays can piece together enough runs to win these games, but one thing I've learned is to never count them out.

The only bad substitution was pinch running for Barger. The rest of them I agreed with.

[max silver]

3 minutes ago, Terminator said:

The only bad substitution was pinch running for Barger. The rest of them I agreed with.

I wasn't happy with the Kirk pinch running substitution as all of Springer, Bo and Barger were already out of the game at that point and as such the lineup was already greatly depleted. 

[Terminator]

10 minutes ago, max silver said:

I wasn't happy with the Kirk pinch running substitution as all of Springer, Bo and Barger were already out of the game at that point and as such the lineup was already greatly depleted. 

Hindsight is 20/20. No way Schneider could or should have managed like our bullpen would keep them scoreless for 6 more innings. It was a miracle the Dodgers hadn't won it already by that point.

And the depleted lineup argument cuts both ways anyway. We needed a run badly right then and there and after a leadoff walk that was going to be our best chance to score with Springer, Bo and Barger out of the game.

On top of all of that, Kirk had tweaked something earlier in the game. Easy decision IMO.

[Laika]

still can't believe IKF did not make it to third base on that 9th inning single off Freeman's glove

I know it was a weird play but mannnnnnn f*** you you little rat s*** running the bases well is supposed to be one your only redeeming qualities like wtf even happened i guess he froze when it went off Freeman's glove loser loser loser why is he on this team omfg