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

Less than a day following enduring one of the most draining defeats in Fall Classic history, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed complete command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run homer and Bieber provided a steady start as Toronto defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, squaring the World Series at two wins apiece and ensuring the matchup will head back to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had passed the early hours of the next day processing their marathon third game defeat – equal to the longest World Series game ever – a defeat that denied them the opportunity to take the lead in the series and burned through both bullpens. Skipper Schneider insisted later that “they took a contest, not the World Series”. A day later, his team provided emphatic evidence.

Early Innings

The Los Angeles again scored first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second, advanced on a single and scored on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early score did not shake a Blue Jays team that led MLB with 49 come-from-behind victories this year.

They answered immediately in the third. Nathan Lukes hit a one away single to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in looking for a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani left a slider up and Guerrero drove it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his first extra-base hit of the World Series and his 7th homer this postseason – a fresh team mark – restoring the Blue Jays's lead after 13 scoreless innings and shifting the momentum of the game.

Shohei's Night

That hit also ended Shohei Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 consecutive at-bats reaching base. The two-way phenomenon had hit two homers and got on base a historic nine times in the Dodgers' third game comeback win. But on that night, he took the mound on short rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the previous marathon.

His pitch speed sat below his seasonal norm and he labored more as the game progressed. Nonetheless, he showed flashes of his usual command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first to continue his World Series streak. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six hits and four earned runs were charged to him in over six innings.

Late Game Rally

The larger problem for Los Angeles was what came next when he finally ran out of energy.

Varsho started the seventh inning with a sharp hit to right field, and Ernie Clement drilled a double off the wall to put runners on with none out. Dave Roberts had no option but to pull the starter, who exited to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not finish the escape.

Anthony Banda inherited the mess and immediately fell behind. Andrés Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before scoring the runner with a base hit to left. Ty France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock the pitcher out of the contest. Blake Treinen came in next but also failed to stop the rally: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger punched run-scoring base hits through the diamond, completing a four-score outburst that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Toronto'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 left the third game after tweaking his oblique.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what the Blue Jays required. Traded for during the summer while finishing recovery from elbow surgery, the former Cy Young winner stranded multiple baserunners and quieted the Los Angeles' dangerous batting order. He gave up one run on four hits and three walks before the manager summoned rookie pitcher Mason Fluharty to confront the core of the lineup in the sixth. He required just 4 throws to get out Max Muncy and Edman, preserving a narrow advantage that quickly grew comfortable.

Former starting pitcher Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' bats kept to sputter. The Dodgers have scored only 3 scores over their last 20 frames, an abrupt slowdown for a team that was among MLB's elite lineups all year.

Final Innings

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

Following a night when Toronto left a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and collapsed after wave upon wave of wasted chances, the fourth contest was brutally efficient. Six different Blue Jays collected base hits, 5 drove in runs and the squad converted almost every scoring chance presented in the late stanzas.

Next Up

The win ensures the World Series title will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not won a title since Carter's iconic walk-off home run in '93. They now know they are guaranteed a full crowd in Canada on Friday night – and possibly Saturday – no matter what happens next in LA.

The fifth game approaches with the series reset and momentum swinging north. Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Toronto's momentum. Toronto respond with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Toronto chased the starter quickly in an decisive win.