That Shohei Ohtani guy sure is good, wouldn't you say? Same for Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who pierced Shohei's veneer of invincibility by mashing a two-run homer off of him in Tuesday's Game 4 Blue Jays win, one of the most impressive gut-check, bounce-back victories we've seen by a team in a long time, in any sport.
The Blue Jays had every reason to pack it in after losing Game 3 on an 18th inning Freddie Freeman walk-off homer. Manager John Schneider used every man on the roster, getting one heroic effort after another from each member of his bullpen, somehow surviving through 17 innings that included four Ohtani extra-base hits and five walks. Toronto never could push a run across after the 7th inning despite multiple chances, and having to turn around just hours later to face the most unstoppable player in the world seemed too tall a task, even for a group as resilient as this one.
Guerrero woke the Jays up when he crushed a hanging Ohtani sweeper in the 3rd inning, and the rest of the team did its part, too. Shane Bieber was nails in a 5.1-inning, one-run effort, while a small-ball rally in the 7th provided more than enough cushion to bring it home.
This series has been about the stars so far. Ohtani has somehow ascended to an even higher plane, to the point that it's not only a shock any time he makes an out, it's an incredible risk just to pitch to him at all. Guerrero has had an unforgettable postseason too, while Yoshinobu Yamamoto's back-to-back complete games and Freeman's clutch walk-off for the second year in a row have grabbed most of the rest of the headlines.
Baseball is a funny game, and so while the superstars have driven the action to this point, we often see less heralded names become unlikely heroes. Dodgers reliever Will Klein and Blue Jays reliever Eric Lauer had the outings of their lives to extend Game 3 so long, and with only two or three games left to crown a champion, don't be surprised if a star isn't the one who decides this captivating World Series, but a supporting actor instead.
After Game 4, we're looking at six players, three from each team, who could wind up having the ultimate say in which team gets to plan a parade and which team will have to wonder "what if" for all eternity.
Nathan Lukes
Some people are born great, while some have greatness thrust upon them. Nathan Lukes has had to work extra hard for his chance to be a hero, having gone through 10 seasons in the minor leagues before finally finding his home with the Blue Jays.
This is the 31-year-old Lukes' first full season in the big leagues, and not only does he find himself getting regular playing time for a World Series team, he's now batting leadoff after frequent postseason hero George Springer tweaked something in his side on a swing in Game 3.
Lukes is tasked with getting the Toronto offense going, and he did just that in Game 4 by singling ahead of Guerrero right before his two-run homer. He almost won Game 3 with a 10th inning double down the line off of Emmet Sheehan, only falling short of achieving hero status when Davis Schneider got gunned out at the plate.
Lukes has the unenviable task of batting leadoff opposite Ohtani, who has turned baseball's record book into his own personal resume. He can't hope to match the Japanese superstar's overall production, but by hitting ahead of Guerrero, there's a good chance that he'll see some pitches to hit in a clutch spot sometime in the next three games.
Kiké Hernandez
The Dodgers have a long and illustrious playoff history, and nobody that's worn Dodger blue has played in more postseason games than Kiké Hernandez. He hasn't just been along for the ride, though — He's been one of the most clutch playoff hitters of this generation.
Hernandez has had a solid career, but in the playoffs he levels up. He beat the Padres in last year's NLDS-deciding Game 5 with a homer off of Yu Darvish, and then he helped the Dodgers take control of the NLCS against the Mets with a homer in Game 3. In Game 7 of the 2020 NLCS against the Giants, he became the first player ever to hit a pinch-hit, game-tying home run in a winner-take-all game. The Dodgers wouldn't have won that title, their first in 32 years, without him.
The numbers back up Hernandez's evolution in the games that matter more. His regular season OPS in his 12-year career is .707. In the playoffs (a sizable sample size given that he's played in the postseason in all but two seasons), that number balloons to .835.
The Dodgers' lineup doesn't look much different than what you'd see in a typical All-Star Game. Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freeman, Will Smith, Teoscar Hernandez, Max Muncy; it's an embarrassment of riches. Lurking just behind them though are Tommy Edman, who did his part to steal the show last year, and Hernandez, who's been doing it for years. Right when you least expect it, he strikes, and he'll probably do it again before this series is over.
Jeff Hoffman
If there's a weakness on this 94-win Blue Jays team, it's the bullpen. The Blue Jays ranked right in the middle of the league in bullpen ERA during the season, and even though they're two games away from a championship, only the Reds and Yankees have been worse among all 12 playoff teams when their starters come out.
Jeff Hoffman was fourth in the majors with 33 saves this year, but he also blew seven games and pitched to a 4.37 ERA. He's been as shutdown as can be in the playoffs though in allowing just one run on four hits in 10 innings. He was on the mound to close out both of the Blue Jays' prior series, striking out four Yankees batters to preserve a 5-2 Game 4 win, and even more impressively, he struck out the side in a one-run game in Game 7 against the Mariners.
Hoffman only ended up in Toronto after the Braves and Orioles backed out of deals for him this offseason due to concerns about his medicals, but he's been the picture of durability all year. He pitched two shutout innings in that marathon Game 3 to keep the Jays in it, and should be ready to go wherever the team needs him in these final three games. He's going to be on the mound when it matters, most likely against multiple Dodgers stars. If he comes through it could give Toronto its first World Series title in over three decades.
Andy Pages
Lukes, Hernandez and Hoffman have all stepped up already, making them great candidates to do it again in a big spot. That may well happen, but sometimes baseball creates heroes where we least expect to find them.
Andy Pages broke out this season as one of the more promising young players in the league. He belted 27 homers and drove in 86 runs while playing in 156 games, and his 3.8 WAR put him ahead of players like James Wood, Elly De La Cruz and Pete Alonso.
In the playoffs, it's been a completely different story as Pages has rotted away at the bottom of the lineup. He's managed only four hits in 50 plate appearances, and he hasn't drawn a single walk. Ohtani has rarely stepped to the plate with men on because Pages has become an automatic out in front of him.
This is exactly the kind of player who could shock the world. We know Pages has the talent because he showed it all year. For whatever reason, he's gone into a frigid slump at the worst possible time, which means the Blue Jays will be happy to pitch to him whenever he comes up. He just has to rediscover his swing in time to make it count.
Ernie Clement
Both teams made unbelievable defensive plays to prevent runs from scoring in Game 3, but there's an old baseball axiom that says if you put the ball in play, good things will happen. Strikeouts are an inevitability in today's game thanks to the prevalence of even deep bullpen guys throwing 100+ mph and hitters swinging for the fences, but not everybody subscribes to that modern way of playing.
Ernie Clement is a throwback, and I've loved watching him in these playoffs. He makes solid contact, moves the runners up when given the chance, and plays a great fundamental brand of baseball. He's always been this way, as he's struck out 151 times over the course of his 1,313 career at-bats. For reference, 36 MLB batters struck out more than that just this year alone.
He's been even better in the postseason, with just four strikeouts in 61 at-bats, and his 24 hits and .393 average are second only to his teammate Guerrero among all playoff participants. He's only gone hitless twice in 15 playoff games, and he's recorded multiple hits an astonishing eight times.
Guerrero is second only to Ohtani on the list of players in this World Series no pitcher wants to face. If Clement isn't third with the way he's locked in, he should be.
Roki Sasaki
Baseball is a game of routine. Starters pitch on five days rest, batters perform their pre-at-bat rituals and closers come out to the same song each time. Every player wants consistency, so it's remarkable that Roki Sasaki has managed to make such an impact this season despite enduring one of the most tumultuous years possible.
This is Sasaki's first season in the majors. He signed with the Dodgers in January after dominating in his native Japan, but the anticipation for his arrival was severely tempered when he struggled through eight starts and then hit the injured list with a shoulder impingement in May.
Manager Dave Roberts decided to bring Sasaki back as a reliever when he returned in late September, and in doing so he unwittingly solved the Dodgers' bullpen issues. Sasaki has been lights-out as a closer, pitching two scoreless innings at the end of the regular season and then allowing just one run and four hits in 9.2 innings in the playoffs.
Sasaki has had Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto to help him get used to being on this side of the pond, but that's a lot to deal with on top of his injury, while also being faced with the pressure of performing for the best team in the world.
Blake Treinen had more runs allowed than innings pitched in September, and he's perilously close to repeating the feat in the playoffs. He's recorded only two outs against the Blue Jays while giving up five hits, and clearly isn't trusted the way he has been in years past. That means that just as the Blue Jays need Hoffman to finish games off, the Dodgers need Sasaki. The beginning of his major league career hasn't unfolded the way anyone thought it would, but none of that will matter if he's on the mound when the final out of the season is recorded.