Game 4 of the 2025 World Series saw the Toronto Blue Jays capitalize on a fatigued Los Angeles Dodgers team, including a valiant but ultimately losing effort from two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani on the mound. After an 18-inning marathon in Game 3, L.A.’s bullpen also faltered, allowing the Blue Jays to secure a 6-2 victory and tie the Fall Classic at two games apiece, shifting momentum and putting immense pressure back on the Dodgers.
The 2025 World Series has delivered drama at every turn, but perhaps no game has highlighted the grueling nature of October baseball quite like Game 4. Coming off an epic 18-inning Game 3, which the Los Angeles Dodgers narrowly won, the question loomed large: which team would bear the brunt of the exhaustion?
For the Dodgers, the answer came swiftly in Game 4 on Tuesday, October 28, 2025. Despite a historic two-way start from their unparalleled talent, Shohei Ohtani, and the sheer will to defend their title at home, L.A. simply ran out of steam. The Toronto Blue Jays exploited this fatigue, securing a decisive 6-2 victory at Dodger Stadium, evening the series at 2-2, and decisively swinging the momentum back to the Canadian side.
Ohtani’s Herculean Effort Meets Its Limits
Less than 17 hours after a monumental performance in Game 3—where he reached base a MLB postseason-record nine times with two homers, two doubles, and five walks (four intentional)—Shohei Ohtani was once again tasked with carrying the Dodgers. This time, he took the mound as the starting pitcher, marking his first two-way World Series start after only batting in last year’s Fall Classic. It was a moment etched in baseball history, showcasing his unparalleled versatility.
Early on, Ohtani navigated traffic, escaping the first two innings unscathed despite not being at his sharpest. However, the cumulative toll of the marathon game and the pressure of a World Series start began to show in the third inning. After walking Nathan Lukes, Ohtani faced the dangerous Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and a hanging 2-1 sweeper proved to be his undoing. Guerrero Jr. capitalized, launching a no-doubt, two-run home run to left-center. This pivotal blast gave the Blue Jays a lead they would not relinquish.
“Looking back, in hindsight, it was just a regrettable pitch,” Ohtani said via an interpreter, reflecting on the moment. “Something I wish that I could have taken back. It was just a bad spot — that location.”
Guerrero’s timely homer not only put the Blue Jays ahead but also recalled their past rivalry, as Guerrero Jr. famously beat Ohtani for the American League home run title in 2021 when Ohtani was with the Los Angeles Angels. This marked Ohtani’s first home run allowed as a pitcher this postseason and Guerrero Jr.’s first of the World Series, a truly momentous hit for the Blue Jays, as reported by Yahoo Sports.
Despite the setback, Ohtani recovered, striking out the side in the fourth inning and maintaining velocity into the sixth. Yet, even Superman has limits. After finishing the sixth with a strong strikeout, the seventh inning brought renewed trouble. He surrendered a leadoff single to Daulton Varsho and a double off the wall to Ernie Clement, putting runners on second and third with nobody out. After 95 pitches, Ohtani’s night on the mound concluded.
“Whether it’s during the regular season or the postseason, my goal is to be able to pitch six innings,” Ohtani stated. “And this game, I wanted to go seven, and it was regrettable that I wasn’t able to finish that inning.”
Bullpen Battles Exhaustion, Blue Jays Capitalize
The Dodgers’ bullpen, which had heroically covered 13 1/3 innings in Game 3, appeared visibly fatigued in Game 4. Manager Dave Roberts turned to Anthony Banda to escape Ohtani’s seventh-inning jam. Banda battled, but a full-count pitch to Andrés Giménez found its way into short left field, scoring Varsho and extending Toronto’s lead to 3-1. A subsequent fielder’s choice from pinch-hitter Ty France brought in another run, making it 4-1.
“They’re very good at just putting the bat on the ball,” Banda remarked on the Blue Jays’ offensive prowess. “That was kind of what it was. I executed pitches and stuff like that, and they just find a way to get it done.”
The knockout blow for Toronto came against the next reliever, Blake Treinen. After an intentional walk to Guerrero Jr., Treinen inherited runners on first and second. Bo Bichette promptly ripped an RBI single, pushing the lead to 5-1. The following batter, Addison Barger, lined the first pitch he saw into left field, scoring Guerrero and stretching the lead to 6-1. This marked Treinen’s third consecutive appearance allowing a run, a stark contrast to the bullpen’s previous flawless performance.
While the Dodgers were reluctant to use Game 3 as an excuse, the impact of the marathon was undeniable, affecting not only Ohtani’s pitching but also his hitting (0-for-3 with two strikeouts and a walk, ending an 11-trip on-base streak) and the overall effectiveness of the relief corps. The Blue Jays, facing the same circumstances, showed resilience and execution, as evidenced by their 6-2 victory, which Yahoo Sports confirms.
What’s Next for the Series: Pressure on L.A.
With the series now tied, the pressure firmly shifts back to the Dodgers as the World Series heads into Game 5, still at Dodger Stadium. The Blue Jays have guaranteed at least one more game in Toronto, returning to their home turf for Game 6.
Game 5 will feature a rematch of Game 1 starters, with Blue Jays rookie Trey Yesavage taking the mound against Dodgers’ Blake Snell. Yesavage, a 22-year-old rookie, has proven capable of keeping his team in the game, a fact he acknowledged before Game 4: “Being a rookie that’s 22 years old and having that weight put on your shoulders, it’s a big deal. But everyone in this clubhouse has my back. But I’m praying … it’s not a back-against-the-wall situation [on Wednesday],” Yesavage told MLB.com.
His prayers were answered, as Guerrero Jr.’s heroics and the bullpen’s struggles spared him that immediate “back-against-the-wall” scenario. The Dodgers now face a critical juncture, needing to regroup and find a way to break the deadlock before heading to a potentially hostile environment in Toronto. As Treinen summed it up for the Dodgers: “The biggest thing is to win the next one. Obviously, we all want to win a World Series, but it starts with one game at a time.”
