Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers still deadlocked in 17th inning

Toronto blueness Jays human face the Dodgers in L.A. This evening for biz 3, series is tied 1-1

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Only one other World Series game has gone 18 innings — when the Dodgers beat the Red Sox in Game 3 of the 2018 Fall Classic.

By time, that one, at seven hours 20 minutes, remains longer than tonight’s marathon.

After Ohtani was walked, Betts came to bat, with a chance to end the ballgame that began more than six hours earlier.

The two battled, with Betts fouling off multiple pitches before Little coaxed a pop up from Betts on the eighth pitch.

Brendon Little got the calls for the Jays in the bottom of the 17th inning, in the already remarkably long Game 3.

Little went up against Edman, and claimed a strikeout, for his first out.

Then he got Rojas to ground out to shortstop for the second.

Call had a long hit to the outfield, but couldn't turn it into more than a single.

Ohtani was up again and this time, Toronto didn’t intentionally walk him. Little was allowed to face him, and put him on base with a walk after four balls.

Normally, that’s saved for blowout games when managers don’t want to tire their relievers.

But with the Dodgers out of bullpen arms, manager Dave Roberts told a Fox reporter that he would use a position player on the mound if the game reaches the 18th inning.

That’s three outs from becoming reality.

In the other bullpen, Toronto has Game 4 starter Shane Bieber loosening up with their final reliever in Brendon Little on the mound.

Klein was back on the mound for Los Angeles as the top of the 17th began.

He got a quick fly out from Clement, before striking out the next batter, Giménez.

Davis Schneider then hit a liner directly to Klein on the second pitch he saw for the the third out of the inning.

I used that same headline waaaaaay back in the fifth inning, naively stating that each side’s relievers would have to navigate four innings.

Well, here we are 12 innings later. Neither team has scored since the seventh, which was also the last time the Blue Jays let Ohtani swing a bat.

The bullpens are certainly doing their part.

Lauer, who entered the game in the 12th inning, struck out Smith, then Muncy to start the 16th inning.

Then came another very long fly ball, hit by Teoscar Hernández, caught by Varsho in centre field.

Sending this ballgame, still tied 5-5, to the 17th inning.

Varsho was out on a hard-hit ground ball to second, giving the Dodgers their first out in the top of the 16th inning of Game 3.

Heineman got to the plate and fouled off five pitches in a row. Then came a ball from Klein, before Heineman fouled off another pitch after that. Klein then got a pop up, to get the Dodgers a second out.

Then Straw came back up and Klein struck him out.

When a World Series game is in the balance, all hands are on deck.

And Tuesday’s Game 4 starter, Shane Bieber, has made the journey to the Blue Jays’ bullpen.

Toronto still has one reliever remaining in Little, but he’s hard to trust after his ALCS Game 5 blow-up and he hasn’t pitched since.

Bieber, then, would be Toronto’s freshest arm. If he is indeed needed, the Jays would likely need to patch together Game 4 in some other way.

The Blue Jays centre fielder has two things going for him: defence and power.

He flashed the latter in the 15th inning, running down a Freeman fly ball in the gap to force extra innings to continue.

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