🔗 Share this article

Only 24 hours after enduring one of the most draining losses in World Series annals, the Blue Jays displayed complete command.

Guerrero crushed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber provided a composed outing as Toronto beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, tying the World Series at two games each and guaranteeing the series will return to Toronto.

Toronto had passed the early hours of Tuesday dealing with their 18-inning Game 3 loss – tied for the longest World Series game ever – a loss that cost them the opportunity to take the lead in the series and depleted both bullpens. Manager Schneider stated later that “the Dodgers took a contest, not the championship”. A day later, his squad offered convincing proof.

Early Action

The Los Angeles again scored first. Muncy walked in the second, moved up on a single and scored on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial score did not shake a Blue Jays team that led MLB with 49 comeback victories this season.

They answered immediately in the third. Nathan Lukes hit a one away single to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in looking for a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani left a sweeper up and Guerrero drove it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his initial extra-base hit of the World Series and his seventh home run this playoffs – a fresh club record – regaining the Blue Jays's lead after 13 scoreless innings and changing the momentum of the night.

Ohtani's Night

That swing also ended Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 consecutive plate appearances reaching base. The dual-threat phenomenon had smashed two home runs and reached safely a record nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 walk-off. But on Tuesday, he started on limited rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the previous marathon.

Ohtani pitch speed sat under his regular-season average and he struggled more as the contest wore on. Nonetheless, he showed glimpses of his typical control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to continue his World Series streak. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six hits and four runs were charged to him in over six innings.

Late Game Rally

The larger issue for the Dodgers was what came next when he eventually ran out of energy.

Varsho started the seventh with a sharp single to right, and Clement smashed a two-base hit off the fence to put two on with none out. Roberts had no option but to pull Ohtani, who departed to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Dodgers' bullpen could not finish the inning.

Anthony Banda came into the mess and right away fell behind. Andrés Giménez battled to a full count before scoring the runner with a base hit to left. Ty France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove Banda out of the contest. Blake Treinen entered next but also was unable to stem the momentum: Bo Bichette and Barger punched run-scoring singles through the infield, capping a four-run barrage that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Toronto's capacity to absorb early blows and answer has defined their whole postseason. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the injured leadoff man who left the third game after tweaking his right side.

Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what Toronto needed. Acquired mid-season while finishing recovery from elbow surgery, the ex- award-winning winner stranded several runners and quieted the Los Angeles' dangerous batting order. He allowed one earned run on four hits and three walks before the manager called on first-year left-hander Mason Fluharty to face the core of the order in the sixth inning. He needed just 4 throws to retire Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a fragile lead that soon became safe.

Converted starting pitcher Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' bats continued to sputter. The Dodgers have produced only 3 scores over their previous 20 frames, an abrupt downturn for a team that was among MLB's elite offenses all season.

Final Innings

The Dodgers managed a score in the ninth when Edman grounded out to score Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's double put two on base. But Louis Varland closed it down without permitting a comeback to build.

Following a night when Toronto stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after wave upon wave of wasted opportunities, Game 4 was ruthlessly effective. Six different Blue Jays collected base hits, 5 drove in runs and the team cashed nearly every scoring opportunity available in the final stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The win guarantees the World Series trophy will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not won a championship since Carter's iconic game-winning homer in '93. They now are aware they are guaranteed a packed crowd in Canada on Friday night – and possibly the next day – no matter what happens next in LA.

Game 5 looms with the matchup reset and momentum shifting to Toronto. Los Angeles pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Blue Jays's surge. The Blue Jays respond with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Toronto knocked out Snell early in an decisive win.