Vladimir Guerrero Jr Homers against Ohtani as Toronto Defeat Dodgers to Tie World Series at 2-2

Only 24 hours following enduring one of the most draining losses in Fall Classic annals, the Blue Jays displayed total command.

Guerrero smashed a two-run homer and Bieber provided a composed start as Toronto defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, tying the World Series at two wins apiece and ensuring the series will return to Toronto.

Toronto had passed the early hours of Tuesday processing their 18-inning Game 3 loss – equal to the lengthiest World Series game ever – a loss that denied them the chance to take the lead in the matchup and burned through both bullpens. Manager John Schneider stated later that “the Dodgers won a game, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his team provided convincing evidence.

Initial Innings

The Los Angeles again struck first. Muncy walked in the second, advanced on a single and crossed the plate on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial score did not shake a Blue Jays team that topped Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind wins this season.

They responded immediately in the third. Lukes lined a one-out base hit to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate hunting a breaking ball. Ohtani threw a sweeper up and Guerrero drove it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his initial long hit of the World Series and his 7th home run this playoffs – a fresh club mark – regaining the Toronto's advantage after 13 shutout frames and changing the tone of the night.

Shohei's Night

That swing also ended Shohei Ohtani's history-making run of 11 consecutive at-bats getting on base. The two-way star had smashed two home runs and got on base a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' third game walk-off. But on that night, he took the mound on short rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the prior extra-inning game.

His pitch speed was under his seasonal norm and he labored more as the game progressed. Even so, he displayed flashes of his usual control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to extend his World Series streak. But the Blue Jays made him work: six base hits and four runs were credited to him in over six innings.

Seventh Inning Rally

The bigger problem for Los Angeles was what came next when Ohtani eventually lost steam.

Daulton Varsho started the seventh inning with a clean hit to right, and Clement smashed a two-base hit off the fence to put runners on with none out. Roberts had no option but to pull the starter, who exited to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Dodgers' relief corps could not complete the inning.

Anthony Banda came into the jam and immediately fell behind. Andrés Giménez battled to a full count before scoring the runner with a base hit 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 failed to stem the momentum: Bo Bichette and Barger punched RBI base hits through the diamond, capping a four-score outburst that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Toronto's capacity to withstand initial setbacks and respond has defined their whole postseason. They once again did it without George Springer, the injured top-of-the-order man who exited the third game after tweaking his right side.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was everything the Blue Jays needed. Traded for mid-season while completing recovery from elbow surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner left multiple baserunners and quieted the Dodgers' potent batting order. He gave up one run on four hits and three free passes before the manager summoned first-year pitcher Mason Fluharty to face the heart of the order in the sixth inning. He needed just four pitches to get out Muncy and Edman, preserving a fragile lead that soon became safe.

Converted starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' bats kept to struggle. The Dodgers have produced only three runs over their previous 20 innings, an sudden slowdown for a club that was among MLB's top lineups all year.

Final Innings

The Los Angeles scraped a run in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman hit into an out to score Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's double put runners aboard. But Varland finished the game without allowing a comeback to build.

After a night when Toronto stranded a World Series-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after wave upon wave of wasted opportunities, Game 4 was ruthlessly effective. Six separate Toronto players recorded base hits, 5 drove in runs and the squad cashed nearly every run-scoring opportunity available in the final stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The win ensures the World Series trophy will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a title since Carter's famous game-winning home run in 1993. They now know they are assured a packed house in Canada on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 approaches with the matchup reset and momentum swinging north. Los Angeles left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Blue Jays's momentum. The Blue Jays respond with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Blue Jays chased Snell early in an decisive win.