Vladimir Guerrero Jr Homers against Shohei Ohtani as Blue Jays See Off Dodgers to Tie World Series at 2-2

Less than a day following enduring one of the most exhausting losses in World Series annals, the Blue Jays played with complete command.

Guerrero smashed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber delivered a composed start as the Blue Jays beat the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, tying the Fall Classic at two games each and ensuring the matchup will return to Canada.

Toronto had spent the morning of Tuesday dealing with their marathon Game 3 loss – equal to the longest Fall Classic game ever – a defeat that denied them the opportunity to take the lead in the series and burned through both bullpens. Manager Schneider stated afterwards that “they took a game, not the championship”. A day later, his team offered emphatic proof.

Early Innings

The Los Angeles again scored first. Muncy walked in the second inning, advanced on a single and scored on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial breakthrough did not rattle a Toronto team that led Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind victories this season.

They answered right away in the third. Nathan Lukes lined a one away base hit to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate hunting a curveball. Shohei Ohtani threw a sweeper up and Guerrero drove it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his initial long hit of the series and his seventh homer this postseason – a new club record – restoring the Toronto's lead after 13 shutout innings and changing the tone of the game.

Ohtani's Performance

That hit also ended Shohei Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 consecutive plate appearances getting on base. The dual-threat star had hit two home runs and reached safely a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' third game walk-off. But on Tuesday, he started on limited rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the previous marathon.

Ohtani pitch speed sat under his seasonal norm and he labored more as the game progressed. Nonetheless, he showed flashes of his typical control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first to continue his World Series record. But the Toronto made him work: six hits and four runs were charged to him in six-plus innings.

Seventh Inning Rally

The bigger issue for the Dodgers was what came next when Ohtani eventually lost steam.

Daulton Varsho started the seventh inning with a sharp hit to right, and Clement drilled a double off the wall to put runners on with none out. Dave Roberts had little choice but to pull the starter, who departed to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Dodgers' bullpen could not finish the inning.

Banda inherited the jam and right away trailed in the count. Giménez battled to a full count before scoring the runner with a single to left field. Ty France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock Banda out of the game. Treinen entered next but also failed to stop the rally: Bichette and Barger hit run-scoring singles through the diamond, completing a four-score barrage that extended the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Toronto's ability to withstand initial setbacks and respond has characterized their whole run. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the hurt leadoff hitter who exited Game 3 after straining his oblique.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was everything the Blue Jays required. Acquired mid-season while finishing recovery from elbow surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner left multiple runners and silenced the Dodgers' potent batting order. He gave up one run on four base hits and three free passes before Schneider called on rookie left-hander Fluharty to confront the heart of the lineup in the sixth inning. Fluharty needed just 4 throws to get out Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a fragile lead that soon grew safe.

Converted starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' bats kept to sputter. Los Angeles have scored only three runs over their previous 20 innings, an sudden slowdown for a club that ranked among baseball's top offenses all year.

Final Moments

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

After a night when Toronto left a World Series-record 19 baserunners 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 scores and the squad cashed nearly every scoring chance available in the final innings.

Looking Ahead

The victory ensures the championship trophy will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not won a championship since Joe Carter's iconic game-winning homer in 1993. They now are aware they are assured a full house in Toronto on Friday evening – and possibly the next day – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game looms with the matchup reset and momentum shifting to Toronto. Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Toronto's surge. The Blue Jays counter with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Blue Jays knocked out Snell quickly in an decisive win.