🔗 Share this article

Only 24 hours following enduring one of the most draining losses in World Series annals, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed total control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber provided a composed start as Toronto defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, tying the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had spent the morning of the next day processing their 18-inning Game 3 loss – tied for the lengthiest Fall Classic contest ever – a loss that cost them the opportunity to lead the series and burned through both bullpens. Skipper Schneider stated afterwards that “the Dodgers won a game, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad provided convincing proof.

Early Innings

The Dodgers again scored first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second, moved up on a base hit and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the initial score did not rattle a Blue Jays club that led MLB with 49 come-from-behind victories this season.

They responded right away in the third inning. Nathan Lukes hit a one-out base hit to centre and Guerrero came to the plate hunting a breaking ball. Ohtani threw a sweeper up and Guerrero sent it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his initial extra-base hit of the World Series and his 7th home run this playoffs – a new club record – restoring the Blue Jays's lead after 13 scoreless innings and changing the momentum of the game.

Ohtani's Performance

That hit also halted Shohei Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 consecutive plate appearances getting on base. The two-way phenomenon had smashed two homers and got on base a historic nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 walk-off. But on Tuesday, he started on limited rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the prior extra-inning game.

Ohtani pitch speed was below his seasonal norm and he labored more as the game wore on. Even so, he displayed flashes of his typical control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and striking out six. He even walked in the first to continue his Fall Classic record. But the Blue Jays made him work: six hits and four earned runs were charged to him in over six frames.

Seventh Inning Rally

The larger issue for Los Angeles was what followed when Ohtani eventually lost energy.

Varsho started the seventh inning with a clean hit to right, and Ernie Clement smashed a double off the wall to put runners on with none out. Roberts had no option but to remove the starter, who departed to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Dodgers' bullpen could not finish the inning.

Banda inherited the jam and immediately fell behind. Andrés Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before driving in Varsho with a single to left. Ty France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove the pitcher out of the game. Treinen came in next but also failed to stem the momentum: Bo Bichette and Barger punched RBI base hits through the diamond, completing a four-score outburst that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

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

Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what Toronto needed. Traded for mid-season while finishing rehab from elbow surgery, the former Cy Young winner stranded multiple baserunners and silenced the Los Angeles' potent lineup. He gave up one run on four base hits and three free passes before Schneider summoned rookie left-hander Fluharty to confront the heart of the order in the sixth. Fluharty required just 4 throws to retire Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a narrow lead that soon grew comfortable.

Former starting pitcher Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' offense continued to sputter. The Dodgers have scored only three runs over their last 20 innings, an abrupt downturn for a team that was among MLB's elite offenses all year.

Final Innings

The Los Angeles scraped a score in the ninth inning when Edman hit into an out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's double put runners on base. But Louis Varland closed it down without allowing a comeback to build.

Following a night when the Blue Jays left a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and collapsed after wave upon wave of wasted chances, the fourth contest was brutally effective. 6 different Toronto players collected base hits, 5 brought home runs and the squad converted nearly every run-scoring opportunity presented in the late innings.

Looking Ahead

The win ensures the World Series title will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a title since Carter's iconic game-winning homer in '93. They now know they are guaranteed a packed crowd in Toronto on Friday night – and possibly Saturday – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 approaches with the matchup reset and momentum shifting to Toronto. Dodgers left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Toronto's surge. The Blue Jays counter with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Toronto chased Snell early in an decisive victory.