Guerrero Homers off Shohei Ohtani as Toronto See Off Dodgers to Tie World Series at 2-2

Less than a day after staggering through one of the most exhausting losses in Fall Classic history, the Toronto Blue Jays played with total control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber delivered a steady outing as Toronto beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, tying the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the series will return to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had passed the morning of the next day processing their 18-inning Game 3 loss – equal to the longest Fall Classic game ever – a loss that denied them the chance to lead the series and depleted both bullpens. Manager John Schneider stated afterwards that “they took a game, not the championship”. A day later, his team provided convincing proof.

Initial Action

The Los Angeles again scored first. Max Muncy walked in the second inning, moved up on a single and scored on Hernández's fly out. But the initial breakthrough did not rattle a Toronto club that topped MLB with 49 comeback victories this year.

They answered right away in the third. Lukes lined a one away single to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate hunting a breaking ball. Ohtani threw a sweeper up and Guerrero sent it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his initial long hit of the series and his seventh homer this playoffs – a fresh team mark – regaining the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 scoreless innings and changing the momentum of the night.

Ohtani's Performance

That swing also ended Shohei Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 consecutive plate appearances getting on base. The two-way phenomenon had smashed two homers and reached safely a historic nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 walk-off. But on Tuesday, he started on limited rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the prior extra-inning game.

His pitch speed was below his seasonal norm and he struggled more as the game wore on. Even so, he showed glimpses of his typical command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and striking out six. He even walked in the first inning to continue his Fall Classic record. But the Blue Jays made him work: six hits and four runs were credited to him in six-plus innings.

Late Game Surge

The bigger problem for Los Angeles was what followed when he eventually ran out of energy.

Daulton Varsho started the seventh with a clean hit to right field, and Ernie Clement smashed a two-base hit off the fence to put two on with none out. Dave Roberts had little choice but to remove Ohtani, who departed to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Dodgers' relief corps could not complete the inning.

Anthony Banda came into the jam and right away trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before scoring the runner with a single to left field. France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock the pitcher out of the contest. Treinen entered next but also was unable to stem the rally: Bo Bichette and Barger punched run-scoring singles through the infield, completing a four-score outburst that extended the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Toronto's capacity to absorb early setbacks and answer has characterized their entire postseason. They once again did it without George Springer, the hurt leadoff hitter who exited Game 3 after tweaking his oblique.

Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what the Blue Jays needed. Traded for mid-season while completing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the former award-winning winner left multiple runners and silenced the Dodgers' dangerous batting order. He allowed one run on four hits and three walks before the manager called on first-year pitcher Fluharty to confront the heart of the order in the sixth. Fluharty required just four throws to get out Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a narrow lead that soon grew comfortable.

Former starter Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' bats continued to sputter. The Dodgers have produced only 3 runs over their previous 20 frames, an sudden downturn for a club that ranked among MLB's top lineups all year.

Closing Moments

The Los Angeles scraped a score in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman hit into an out to score Hernández after a walk and Muncy's two-base hit put runners on base. But Louis Varland finished the game without permitting a comeback to develop.

After a game when Toronto stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and fell apart after repeated of missed opportunities, the fourth contest was ruthlessly effective. Six different Blue Jays recorded hits, 5 drove in runs and the squad converted nearly every run-scoring opportunity available in the final innings.

Looking Ahead

The victory guarantees the World Series title will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not won a title since Joe Carter's famous game-winning homer in '93. They now are aware they are assured a packed house in Toronto on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game approaches with the series reset and energy shifting north. Los Angeles pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Toronto's momentum. The Blue Jays respond with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Blue Jays chased Snell quickly in an 11-4 win.