Guerrero Blasts against Shohei Ohtani as Blue Jays See Off Los Angeles to Tie Series at 2-2

Only 24 hours after enduring one of the most exhausting losses in Fall Classic history, the Toronto Blue Jays played with total control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber delivered a composed outing as Toronto defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, squaring the World Series at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the series will head back to Toronto.

Toronto had passed the morning of the next day processing their marathon third game defeat – equal to the longest World Series game ever – a defeat that cost them the chance to take the lead in the matchup and burned through both relief corps. Skipper Schneider stated afterwards that “they took a game, not the World Series”. A day later, his team offered convincing evidence.

Initial Action

The Los Angeles again struck first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, moved up on a base hit and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial score did not rattle a Toronto club that topped Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind wins this season.

They responded immediately in the third inning. Lukes lined a one away base hit to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate looking for a curveball. Shohei Ohtani threw a sweeper up and he sent it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his first long hit of the series and his 7th home run this playoffs – a new team mark – regaining the Toronto's lead after 13 scoreless innings and shifting the tone of the game.

Shohei's Performance

That swing also halted Ohtani's history-making run of 11 straight at-bats getting on base. The dual-threat star had hit two homers and reached safely a record nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 walk-off. But on that night, he took the mound on short rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the previous marathon.

Ohtani pitch speed was below his regular-season norm and he struggled more as the game progressed. Nonetheless, he displayed glimpses of his typical command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and fanning six. He even walked in the first inning to continue his World Series streak. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six hits and four earned runs were credited to him in six-plus innings.

Seventh Inning Surge

The bigger issue for Los Angeles was what followed when he eventually lost energy.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh inning with a sharp hit to right field, and Clement smashed a two-base hit off the wall to put runners on with none out. Dave Roberts had little choice but to pull the starter, who departed to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Dodgers' relief corps could not finish the inning.

Banda inherited the mess and right away trailed in the count. Giménez fought to a full count before driving in Varsho with a base hit to left field. France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove Banda out of the contest. Treinen entered next but also failed to stop the rally: Bichette and Addison Barger punched run-scoring base hits through the infield, completing a four-score barrage that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Blue Jays's ability to absorb early blows and answer has characterized their entire postseason. They once again did it without George Springer, the injured leadoff man who exited the third game after tweaking his oblique.

Bieber, meanwhile, was everything the Blue Jays required. Acquired mid-season while completing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the former award-winning winner left multiple runners and quieted the Los Angeles' potent lineup. He gave up one earned run on four base hits and three walks before the manager summoned rookie left-hander Fluharty to face the heart of the lineup in the sixth inning. He required just four throws to get out Max Muncy and Edman, preserving a narrow advantage that quickly grew safe.

Former starting pitcher Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' offense continued to sputter. The Dodgers have scored only 3 scores over their previous 20 frames, an sudden downturn for a club that was among MLB's top lineups all season.

Closing Innings

The Dodgers scraped a run in the ninth inning when Edman grounded out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's two-base hit put two on base. But Varland closed it down without allowing a rally to develop.

Following a game when Toronto stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and collapsed after wave upon wave of missed chances, the fourth contest was ruthlessly effective. Six separate Blue Jays recorded base hits, five brought home runs and the team cashed almost every run-scoring opportunity available in the late innings.

Next Up

The victory ensures the championship title will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a championship since Joe Carter's iconic walk-off homer in 1993. They now are aware they are assured a packed house in Canada on Friday evening – and perhaps the next day – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game looms with the matchup reset and energy swinging to Toronto. Los Angeles pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Toronto's momentum. The Blue Jays counter with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Toronto knocked out the starter quickly in an decisive victory.