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

Less than a day after staggering through one of the most draining losses in Fall Classic annals, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed total command.

Guerrero crushed a two-run home run and Bieber provided a steady outing as Toronto defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, squaring the World Series at two wins apiece and ensuring the matchup will return to Toronto.

Toronto had passed the early hours of the next day dealing with their 18-inning third game defeat – tied for the lengthiest World Series contest ever – a defeat that cost them the chance to lead the series and burned through both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider stated afterwards that “the Dodgers took a contest, not the World Series”. A day later, his squad offered emphatic proof.

Early Action

The Dodgers again struck first. Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, moved up on a base hit and scored on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the early score did not shake a Blue Jays club that topped Major League Baseball with 49 comeback wins this season.

They responded immediately in the third inning. Nathan Lukes lined a one-out single to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate hunting a curveball. Shohei Ohtani threw a slider up and Guerrero drove it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his first long hit of the World Series and his seventh homer this postseason – a fresh club record – restoring the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 scoreless innings and changing the momentum of the night.

Shohei's Performance

That hit also ended Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 straight plate appearances reaching base. The dual-threat star had hit two homers and got on base a record nine times in the Dodgers' 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 extra-inning game.

His fastball velocity sat below his regular-season average and he labored more as the contest progressed. Even so, he displayed glimpses of his typical command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first to extend his Fall Classic record. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six hits and four earned runs were charged to him in over six frames.

Late Game Rally

The bigger issue for the Dodgers was what came next when he finally lost steam.

Varsho opened the seventh with a sharp single to right, and Ernie Clement drilled 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 Los Angeles' bullpen could not finish the escape.

Anthony Banda came into the mess and right away trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez battled to a full count before scoring Varsho with a single to left. Ty France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove the pitcher out of the game. Blake Treinen came in next but also failed to stem the momentum: Bichette and Addison Barger hit run-scoring base hits through the diamond, completing a four-run barrage that extended the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Blue Jays's ability to withstand early blows and answer has defined their entire postseason. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order hitter who exited the third game after straining his right side.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was everything Toronto needed. Traded for mid-season while completing rehab from elbow surgery, the former Cy Young winner stranded several baserunners and quieted the Dodgers' potent lineup. He gave up one earned run on four base hits and three free passes before the manager called on first-year left-hander Fluharty to face the core of the order in the sixth inning. He required just 4 pitches to get out Max Muncy and Edman, preserving a narrow lead that soon grew comfortable.

Former starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' bats continued to sputter. The Dodgers have scored only three scores over their last 20 frames, an sudden downturn for a team that was among baseball's elite lineups all season.

Final Moments

The Los Angeles 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 double put runners aboard. But Varland closed it down without permitting a comeback to develop.

Following a game when Toronto stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after repeated of missed chances, the fourth contest was ruthlessly efficient. Six different Toronto players collected hits, five brought home scores and the squad cashed nearly every scoring chance presented in the late stanzas.

Next Up

The victory guarantees the World Series trophy will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not won a championship since Joe Carter's famous game-winning home run in '93. They now are aware they are assured a packed house in Canada on Friday night – and possibly Saturday – no matter what happens next in LA.

The fifth game looms with the matchup even and momentum shifting to Toronto. Los Angeles left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Blue Jays's momentum. Toronto respond with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Toronto chased the starter quickly in an 11-4 victory.