Game 3 of this year’s World Series between the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers will go down as one of the most memorable contests in Fall Classic history.
It took 18 innings, 31 base hits, 44 players, 609 pitches thrown and 6 hours and 39 minutes for the Blue Jays and Dodgers to find a winner. And it was just one Freddie Freeman swing that did the trick, as Los Angeles came away with a 2-1 series lead after its first baseman hit a walk-off homer in the World Series for the second straight year.
For the Blue Jays, the night will be defined by missed opportunities and the early damage they surrendered to Shohei Ohtani, who went 4-for-4 with two homers and two doubles before Toronto walked him in each of his subsequent plate appearances — four of which were intentional.
The Blue Jays have continued to showcase their resilience on a national stage this post-season, coming back from 2-0 and 3-2 deficits to win the ALCS in seven games. But taking down this Dodgers club after using 23 players in the loss will be a whole new challenge for Toronto.
Shane Bieber will be tasked with opposing Ohtani on the mound as the Blue Jays look to avoid falling behind 3-1 in Game 4 on Tuesday night (Sportsnet, Sportsnet+ 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT). Before first pitch flies, here’s a look at what some MLB analysts from south of the border had to say about Toronto’s effort in Game 3.
New York Post — Blue Jays may have found only way to contain Shohei Ohtani — if they dare to keep doing it
In the first seven innings of Monday’s marathon, Ohtani picked up an extra-base hit in all four of his at-bats, including a game-tying blast in the bottom of the seventh, and the Dodgers scored five runs.
In the 11 frames that followed, Toronto refused to let the three-time MVP win the game single-handedly, and Los Angeles didn’t score until Freeman’s solo blast off Brendon Little — it was a strategy that the New York Post‘s Jon Heyman applauded after the game.
“Nine innings in, the Jays realized that avoiding Ohtani was their one hope, and the ploy of free passes kept them alive long into the night…
“It was a terrific strategy and it nearly won the day for the Jays, even if Ohtani reached base a record nine times in nine times up.”
Heyman compared the Blue Jays’ handling of Ohtani to the way they frequently treated Aaron Judge when they faced the New York Yankees. No one intentionally walked Judge more than Toronto, as manager John Schneider opted to make those around the Yankees star beat him.
On Monday night, Mookie Betts and Freeman didn’t make the Blue Jays pay for letting them hit with runners on. The pair of former MVPs actually combined to go 1-for-7 with a single in their at-bats that came in the same inning as an Ohtani walk.
The Athletic — After an 18-inning epic, what will the Dodgers and Blue Jays have left for Game 4?
Naturally, much of the concern following 18 innings of high-intensity baseball will be around how fatigued each team’s bullpen may be after having to cover so much of the game.
For Toronto, however, questions remain about both its bullpen and George Springer’s status. The 36-year-old left Game 3 in the seventh inning with right-side discomfort and was headed for MRIs. If he were to miss any time in this series, it would be a major blow to the Blue Jays’ offence, which is already managing a laboured Bo Bichette.
Along with Springer, the Blue Jays used all eight of their relievers in their loss, including Louis Varland, Jeff Hoffman, Braydon Fisher and Eric Lauer for more than just three outs.
The Athletic‘s Ken Rosenthal is concerned about how the Blue Jays will line up for Game 4 on both fronts.
“The Jays might field something of a ‘B’ lineup against Ohtani. Their own starting pitcher, Shane Bieber, is also something of a wild card. He will be pitching on seven days’ rest, but is coming off Tommy John surgery and has failed to complete four innings in two of his three post-season starts.
“Heaven knows what either bullpen will look like as well. Both ‘pens were much-maligned entering the Series. Both produced borderline heroic performances in Game 3. The Dodgers’ relievers combined for 13 1/3 scoreless innings, the Jays’ group allowed three runs in 12 2/3.”
Ohtani will be under similar pressure to Bieber, as the Dodgers leaned heavily on some of their top right-handed relievers in the game. Most notably, Roki Sasaki went 1.2 innings and threw 29 pitches, numbers he hasn’t frequently been asked to reach since moving to the bullpen.
MLB.com — Extra effort: Lauer gives Blue Jays all he has in marathon Game 3
When the Boston Red Sox lost Game 3 of the 2018 World Series to the Dodgers after Max Muncy’s 18th-inning walk-off homer, they rallied around the performance that Nathan Eovaldi gave them out of the bullpen.
Despite being scheduled to start Game 4, Eovaldi threw six innings, allowing just three hits and one earned run while striking out five. Despite taking the loss, Eovaldi was dubbed a Red Sox post-season hero for his efforts on the night, saving Boston’s bullpen for the rest of the series.
There was a similar vibe to the way Eric Lauer was received after his 4.2 innings of relief for the Blue Jays on Monday, and MLB.com’s Martín Gallegos gave the southpaw his flowers for the outing.
“Lauer gave the Blue Jays all he had and then some in Monday night’s 18-inning marathon at Dodger Stadium. Entering the game with one out in the bottom of the 12th, the left-hander proceeded to blank the Dodgers across 4 2/3 innings with a herculean effort out of the bullpen that should have been his signature performance.”
While Lauer didn’t get the satisfaction of being the hero in a win, his performance didn’t go unnoticed on either side, as both managers acknowledged post-game just how impressive he was — it sounds very similar to the Eovaldi storyline that played out seven years ago.
