"Keep walking the wrong guy" - Fans erupt over Blue Jays’ risky plan to walk Shohei Ohtani, while Freddie Freeman plays hero with 18th-inning HR

Baseball fans were treated to a World Series classic when the Los Angeles Dodgers hosted the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 3 at Dodger Stadium on Monday.

The teams battled for 18 innings before last season's World Series MVP Freddie Freeman hit a walk-off home run to clinch a 6-5 win for the Dodgers in the bottom of the 18th.

From the ninth inning of the marathon contest, Blue Jays manager John Schneider employed the strategy of intentionally walking three-time MVP Shohei Ohtani, who tied the game at 5-5 with his second home run in the seventh inning.

Even though Freeman's heroics gave the Dodgers a 2-1 series lead, Schneider's plan worked. Ohtani -- who was 4-for-4 with two solo shots, three runs and three RBIs -- drew five walks, with the first four being intentional, but he never scored off the free passes.

In the first of the four consecutive intentional walks, Ohtani was caught stealing for the second out of the ninth inning. Freeman flied out to left end the 11th after Mookie Betts' two-out single moved Ohtani to second base. Freeman flied out to center after Ohtani and Betts both drew intentional walks with two outs in the 14th. And Betts and Freeman flied out behind Ohtani in the 15th.

In the 17th, Ohtani also drew a walk that was unintentional with two outs, but Betts fouled out to end the inning. That set up Freeman to lead off the 18th.

Nevertheless, fans criticized Schneider for his strategy:

"Moral of the story.. Schneider is a bit** for all the intentional walks and bitc*** never prosper."

"John Schneider lost that game. Pulling Bo with a 1-run lead - dumb. Pulling Barger while tied - soooo dumb. Pitching to Shohei in the 7th - historically dumb."

"Blue Jays screwed themselves pulling Bichette, Springer, Kirk from the lineup. No more clutch hitting remains outside Vlad Jr. Can only work your way out of so many jams against the Dodgers lineup."

"At least the @Yankees and @BlueJays have one thing in common we both dislike Freddie Freeman and our managers suck."

"They keep walking the wrong guy should walk him instead of Othani lol it's always Freddie."

Shohei Ohtani makes history after Blue Jays' intentional walks in World Series Game 3

After Shohei Ohtani made history by going 4-for-4 and four extra base hits with his seventh-inning home run, the Blue Jays walked him four consecutive times, a World Series record.

The three-time MVP reached base for the ninth time after he was walked for a fifth time in the 17th inning. He became the first player since Stan Hack in 1942 to reach base nine times in a World Series game.

Ohtani finished with two home runs, three RBIs, three runs and five walks. His Dodgers teammate Freddie Freeman also etched his name in the history books after his walk-off home run in the 18th made him the first player with multiple walk-off homers in World Series history.

Edited by Chaitanya Prakash