Vladimir Guerrero Jr Blasts against Shohei Ohtani as Toronto Defeat Dodgers to Tie Series at 2-2

Only 24 hours after staggering through one of the most exhausting defeats in Fall Classic history, the Blue Jays displayed complete control.

Guerrero smashed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber provided a steady start 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 guaranteeing the matchup will return to Toronto.

Toronto had passed the early hours of the next day dealing with their marathon third game defeat – tied for the longest Fall Classic game ever – a defeat that cost them the opportunity to take the lead in the series and depleted both relief corps. Manager John Schneider stated afterwards that “they took a game, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad provided emphatic evidence.

Early Innings

The Dodgers again struck first. Muncy drew a walk in the second, moved up on a base hit and crossed the plate on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial breakthrough did not rattle a Toronto team that topped Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind victories this year.

They responded right away in the third inning. Lukes hit a one-out single to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate hunting a curveball. Ohtani threw a slider up and he sent it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his first long hit of the series and his 7th home run this postseason – a fresh club record – restoring the Toronto's advantage after 13 scoreless frames and shifting the momentum of the game.

Shohei's Performance

That swing also ended Shohei Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 straight plate appearances getting on base. The dual-threat star had smashed two homers and got on base a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' third game comeback win. But on that night, he started on limited rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the prior marathon.

Ohtani fastball velocity was under his regular-season norm and he labored more as the contest progressed. Even so, he showed flashes of his typical command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to continue his Fall Classic record. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six hits and four runs were credited to him in over six innings.

Late Game Rally

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

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh with a sharp hit to right, and Ernie Clement drilled a two-base hit off the wall to put two on with none out. Dave Roberts had little choice but to pull the starter, who exited to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not complete the escape.

Banda came into the mess and right away trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez battled to a full count before scoring the runner with a base hit to left field. Ty France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove the pitcher out of the contest. Treinen entered next but also was unable to stem the momentum: Bichette and Addison Barger punched run-scoring base hits through the diamond, completing a four-run outburst that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Toronto's ability to absorb early setbacks and respond has defined their entire postseason. They once again did it without Springer, the injured top-of-the-order man who left Game 3 after straining his right side.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was everything Toronto required. Traded for during the summer while completing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner stranded multiple runners and silenced the Los Angeles' potent batting order. He gave up one run on four base hits and three walks before Schneider called on rookie pitcher Mason Fluharty to face the core of the lineup in the sixth inning. Fluharty needed just 4 throws to retire Muncy and Edman, protecting a fragile advantage that quickly became comfortable.

Former starting pitcher Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' offense kept to struggle. The Dodgers have produced only three runs over their last 20 innings, an abrupt slowdown for a team that was among MLB's elite offenses all season.

Final Innings

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

After a night when Toronto stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after wave upon wave of wasted chances, Game 4 was brutally effective. Six different Toronto players collected base hits, 5 brought home scores and the team cashed nearly every run-scoring opportunity available in the late stanzas.

Next Up

The win ensures the championship title will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a championship since Joe Carter's iconic game-winning homer in 1993. They now are aware they are guaranteed a full house in Canada on Friday evening – and possibly the next day – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 looms with the series reset and momentum shifting north. Los Angeles left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Toronto's surge. Toronto respond with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Blue Jays knocked out Snell early in an 11-4 victory.