How Blue Jays defense and the bottom of the order were key in tying the ALCS

They say defense wins championships, and it was certainly a big part of why the Toronto Blue Jays managed to even up their ALCS against the Seattle Mariners, taking Game 4 by a score of 8-2. Not only did the defense come up big, but the bottom of the order stayed hot as well. It's a second straight win in Seattle by the Blue Jays and it may have been the most "2025 Blue Jays" win all season.

How Blue Jays defense and the bottom of the order were key in tying the ALCS

Let's start with things on the defensive side with the guy on the mound. "Mad" Max Scherzer gave everything he had on Thursday night, pitching 5.2 innings, allowing just three hits, one run and striking out five. He helped himself out by generating a lot of weak contact and also made a pivotal play in the bottom of the third.

The Blue Jays had just taken a 3-1 lead, but it could have been more as they had the bases loaded with one out, and could only get one run in. In the bottom half of that inning, Leo Rivas walked to open things up and was still at first one out later with Cal Raleigh at the dish. Raleigh could have tied the game with one swing - however, Scherzer took away that opportunity when he picked off Rivas at first.

The throw was on the money and the tag by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was perfect. Raleigh then struck out and killed that rally altogether. But it wasn't just Scherzer and Guerrero whose defense shone brightly in Game 4.

Addison Barger was slotted into right field in the wake of a late roster shuffle that will have some impact on the rest of Toronto's post season. Outfielder / DH Anthony Santander has been removed due to a lower back injury and replaced by Joey Loperfido on the playoff roster. That gave way to the Blue Jays electing to move Ernie Clement to third base, Barger to right field and inserting Isiah Kiner-Falefa at second.

While Kiner-Falefa and Clement made a couple of routine plays, Barger came up with three huge defensive standouts that may have changed the course of the game had he not come up with the play. The first of which came in the bottom of the fifth when Rivas lined out with a runner on and one out.

Barger had to go across his body, leap and then catch the ball over his head on the run to take away extra bases from Rivas. The next inning, the Mariners were threatening with runners on first and second and two outs. Down 5-1 and with Eugenio Suàrez at the dish, the Seattle third basemen sent a ground ball into right field, cashing in a run. But they once again killed their own rally as Barger threw out the trailing runner at third base on his throw from right field.

The run scored, but the inning was also over. In the seventh, Barger robbed Rivas of yet another hit, this time diving to his left to come up with a spectacular catch.

At the dish, the Blue Jays 6-9 had seven of the Blue Jays 11 hits on the night. Clement was 2-for-5 with a run scored. Barger had a walk and a hit. But both Kiner-Falefa and Andrés Giménez had multi-hit games, and were the spark plugs on the evening.

Kiner-Falefa led off the third inning with a double, and then it was time for Giménez to recreate his magic moment from the night before, by hitting a two-run shot to right field to give the Blue Jays a 2-1 lead.

Giménez would plate another two runners in the top of the eighth to put the Blue Jays ahead 8-2, giving Giménez a four-RBI night and six RBIs in the series. Thoses six RBIs led the Blue Jays in the ALCS going into Game 5.

Both Giménez and Kiner-Falefa also had successful sacrifice bunts during the course of the game, carrying that mentality of putting the team first and trying to do everything they can to get guys over and keep the chain moving.

That was what led to much of the Blue Jays success during the course of the regular season and over the last two days it has allowed them to tie up the series against the Mariners. The Blue Jays, who swept the Mariners in Seattle in May are one win away from repeating that feat and getting the series back to Toronto with a 3-2 lead.