Vladimir Guerrero Jr Blasts 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 draining defeats in World Series history, the Blue Jays displayed total control.

Guerrero smashed a two-run home run and Bieber provided a composed outing as Toronto defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, squaring the World Series at two wins apiece and ensuring the series will return to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had spent the morning of Tuesday dealing with their marathon Game 3 loss – tied for the longest Fall Classic game ever – a defeat that cost them the chance to lead the matchup and depleted both relief corps. Manager Schneider insisted later that “the Dodgers won a game, not the championship”. A day later, his team offered convincing proof.

Initial Action

The Los Angeles again struck first. Max 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 breakthrough did not shake a Toronto club that topped MLB with 49 come-from-behind victories this season.

They responded immediately in the third. Nathan Lukes hit a one away single to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in looking for a breaking ball. Ohtani left a slider up and Guerrero drove it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his initial long hit of the World Series and his 7th home run this playoffs – a fresh team record – restoring the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 shutout frames and shifting the tone of the game.

Ohtani's Night

That hit also halted Ohtani's history-making run of 11 straight at-bats reaching base. The two-way phenomenon had smashed two homers and reached safely a record nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 comeback win. But on that night, he took the mound on limited rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the prior marathon.

His fastball velocity was under his regular-season norm and he labored more as the game progressed. Nonetheless, he displayed flashes of his typical control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first to continue his World Series record. But the Toronto made him work: six base hits and four earned runs were charged to him in over six innings.

Seventh Inning Surge

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

Daulton Varsho started the seventh with a sharp single to right field, and Clement drilled a double off the fence to put runners on with no outs. Dave Roberts had little choice but to remove Ohtani, who departed to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Dodgers' bullpen could not complete the inning.

Banda inherited the mess and right away fell behind. Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before scoring the runner with a base hit to left field. France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove Banda out of the contest. Treinen entered next but also failed to stem the momentum: Bo Bichette and Barger hit RBI base hits through the infield, capping a four-score barrage that extended the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Toronto's capacity to absorb early blows and answer has defined their whole run. They once again did it without Springer, the injured top-of-the-order hitter who exited Game 3 after straining his oblique.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was everything the Blue Jays needed. Acquired during the summer while completing rehab from elbow surgery, the former award-winning winner stranded several baserunners and silenced the Los Angeles' potent lineup. He allowed one run on four base hits and three free passes before the manager summoned rookie left-hander Fluharty to confront the core of the order in the sixth inning. Fluharty required just four pitches to retire Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a narrow advantage that quickly grew comfortable.

Converted starter Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' bats continued to sputter. The Dodgers have scored only three runs over their last 20 frames, an abrupt downturn for a club that was among baseball's top offenses all year.

Final Innings

The Dodgers managed a run in the ninth inning when Edman grounded out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Muncy's double put runners aboard. But Louis Varland finished the game without permitting a comeback to develop.

Following a night when the Blue Jays left a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after wave upon wave of wasted chances, the fourth contest was brutally effective. Six different Toronto players collected hits, five drove in scores and the squad converted almost every run-scoring chance presented in the final stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The win ensures the championship trophy will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not won a title since Carter's iconic game-winning homer in '93. They now know they are assured a full crowd in Toronto on Friday night – and perhaps the next day – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game looms with the series even and momentum shifting to Toronto. Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Toronto's surge. Toronto counter with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Blue Jays knocked out Snell quickly in an 11-4 win.