Vladimir Guerrero Jr Blasts against Ohtani as Toronto See Off Los Angeles to Tie Series at 2-2

Less than a day following staggering through one of the most exhausting losses in Fall Classic annals, the Toronto Blue Jays played with complete control.

Guerrero crushed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber delivered a composed start as the Blue Jays defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, squaring the World Series at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the matchup will return to Canada.

The Blue Jays had spent the morning of the next day processing their 18-inning Game 3 loss – equal to the longest Fall Classic contest ever – a loss that denied them the opportunity to take the lead in the matchup and burned through both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider insisted afterwards that “the Dodgers took a game, not the World Series”. A day later, his team provided emphatic proof.

Early Innings

The Dodgers again struck first. Muncy walked in the second, advanced on a single and scored on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial score did not shake a Blue Jays club that topped MLB with 49 come-from-behind wins this year.

They answered immediately in the third. Nathan Lukes lined a one-out base hit to centre and Guerrero came to the plate hunting a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani left a slider up and Guerrero sent it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his first long hit of the series and his 7th homer this playoffs – a new club mark – restoring the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 shutout innings and shifting the momentum of the game.

Shohei's Night

That hit also halted Shohei Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 consecutive at-bats reaching base. The two-way star had smashed two homers and got on base a historic nine times in the Dodgers' third game walk-off. But on that night, he took the mound on limited rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the previous extra-inning game.

His fastball velocity was under his seasonal norm and he struggled more as the contest progressed. Nonetheless, he showed flashes of his usual control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and striking out six. He even walked in the first to continue his World Series record. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six base hits and four earned runs were charged to him in over six innings.

Seventh Inning Surge

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

Daulton Varsho started the seventh inning with a sharp hit to right field, and Clement smashed a double off the fence to put two on with none out. Roberts had little choice but to remove Ohtani, who exited to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not complete the inning.

Anthony Banda inherited the jam and right away trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before driving in Varsho with a base hit to left. France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock the pitcher out of the contest. Blake Treinen came in next but also failed to stop the momentum: Bo Bichette and Barger hit run-scoring base hits through the infield, completing a four-run barrage that extended the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Toronto's ability to absorb early setbacks and answer has characterized their whole run. They once again succeeded without Springer, the hurt leadoff man who exited the third game after tweaking his right side.

Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what Toronto needed. Traded for mid-season while finishing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the ex- award-winning winner stranded several runners and quieted the Dodgers' dangerous lineup. He allowed one run on four base hits and three free passes before Schneider called on rookie pitcher Fluharty to confront the heart of the order in the sixth. He needed just 4 pitches to get out Max Muncy and Edman, preserving a narrow lead that quickly grew comfortable.

Former starter Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' offense kept to struggle. The Dodgers have produced only three scores over their last 20 innings, an abrupt downturn for a club that was among MLB's elite offenses all year.

Final Innings

The Dodgers managed a score in the ninth when Edman hit into an out to score Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's double put runners on base. But Varland closed it down without permitting a comeback to build.

After a night when the Blue Jays stranded a World Series-record 19 runners and collapsed after repeated of wasted chances, Game 4 was brutally efficient. Six different Toronto players recorded base hits, 5 drove in runs and the team converted almost every run-scoring opportunity available in the final stanzas.

Next Up

The victory ensures the championship trophy will be presented at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not won a championship since Carter's iconic game-winning homer in '93. They now are aware they are assured a full house in Canada on Friday evening – and possibly the next day – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 looms with the matchup reset and momentum shifting to Toronto. Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Toronto's momentum. The Blue Jays respond with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Toronto chased Snell early in an 11-4 victory.