Vladimir Guerrero Jr Blasts against Shohei Ohtani as Blue Jays See Off Los Angeles to Level World Series at 2-2

Less than a day following staggering through one of the most exhausting defeats in Fall Classic history, the Blue Jays displayed total control.

Guerrero crushed a two-run homer and Bieber provided a steady outing as the Blue Jays beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, squaring the World Series at two games each and guaranteeing the matchup will return to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had passed the early hours of the next day processing their 18-inning third game defeat – equal to the lengthiest World Series contest ever – a loss that denied them the chance to take the lead in the matchup and depleted both relief corps. Manager John Schneider stated afterwards that “they won a game, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his team provided convincing proof.

Early Action

The Dodgers again scored first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second, moved up on a base hit and scored on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the initial score did not rattle a Toronto team that topped Major League Baseball with 49 comeback victories this season.

They answered right away in the third. Lukes hit a one-out single to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate looking for a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani threw a slider up and he sent it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his first extra-base hit of the series and his 7th homer this playoffs – a new team mark – restoring the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 scoreless frames and changing the momentum of the game.

Shohei's Night

That hit also halted Ohtani's history-making run of 11 straight plate appearances getting on base. The two-way star had hit two home runs and reached safely a record nine times in the Dodgers' third game comeback win. But on that night, he took the mound on limited rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the previous extra-inning game.

Ohtani fastball velocity was below his regular-season norm and he labored more as the contest progressed. Even so, he displayed flashes of his usual control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and striking out six. He even walked in the first inning to extend his World Series record. But the Toronto made him work: six hits and four earned runs were charged to him in over six innings.

Seventh Inning Rally

The bigger problem for Los Angeles was what came next when Ohtani finally lost energy.

Varsho opened the seventh inning with a clean single to right field, and Ernie Clement smashed a double off the fence to put runners on with no outs. Dave Roberts had no option but to remove the starter, who departed to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Dodgers' relief corps could not complete the inning.

Banda inherited the jam and immediately trailed in the count. Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before driving in Varsho with a single to left. Ty France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove Banda out of the game. Treinen entered next but also was unable to stem the momentum: Bichette and Addison Barger punched run-scoring base hits through the infield, capping a four-score barrage that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Blue Jays's ability to absorb initial setbacks and respond has defined their whole postseason. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order hitter who left the third game after tweaking his right side.

Bieber, meanwhile, was everything Toronto required. Traded for mid-season while finishing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the former award-winning winner left multiple runners and silenced the Los Angeles' dangerous batting order. He allowed one earned run on four base hits and three free passes before Schneider summoned rookie left-hander Fluharty to face the core of the order in the sixth inning. Fluharty needed just 4 throws to get out Max Muncy and Edman, preserving a fragile lead that soon grew comfortable.

Former starter Chris Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' offense kept to struggle. Los Angeles have scored only 3 runs over their last 20 innings, an sudden slowdown for a team that was among baseball's top lineups all season.

Closing Moments

The Dodgers scraped a run in the ninth when Tommy Edman hit into an out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Muncy's two-base hit put runners aboard. But Louis Varland closed it down without permitting a rally to develop.

Following a game when the Blue Jays left a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and collapsed after repeated of missed opportunities, Game 4 was brutally efficient. 6 separate Blue Jays recorded base hits, 5 drove in runs and the squad cashed nearly every scoring opportunity available in the late innings.

Looking Ahead

The victory ensures the World Series trophy will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not celebrated a championship since Carter's famous game-winning homer in '93. They now know they are assured a full crowd in Canada on Friday evening – and possibly the next day – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game looms with the series even and momentum shifting to Toronto. Los Angeles left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Blue Jays's momentum. The Blue Jays respond with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Toronto chased the starter quickly in an 11-4 victory.