Vladimir Guerrero Jr Blasts against Ohtani as Toronto See Off Dodgers to Tie Series at 2-2

Only 24 hours after enduring one of the most draining defeats in Fall Classic history, the Blue Jays displayed total command.

Guerrero crushed a two-run homer and Bieber delivered a steady outing as the Blue Jays defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, squaring the Fall Classic at two games each and guaranteeing the series will head back to Canada.

Toronto had spent the early hours of the next day processing their 18-inning third game defeat – equal to the lengthiest Fall Classic contest ever – a loss that cost them the chance to lead the matchup and burned through both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider insisted later that “the Dodgers took a game, not the championship”. A day later, his team offered convincing proof.

Early Action

The Los Angeles again scored first. Muncy drew a walk in the second, advanced on a single and crossed the plate on Hernández's fly out. But the initial breakthrough did not rattle a Blue Jays team that led MLB with 49 comeback victories this year.

They answered immediately in the third inning. Nathan Lukes hit a one away single to centre and Guerrero stepped in hunting a breaking ball. Ohtani left a slider up and he sent it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his initial long hit of the World Series and his seventh home run this postseason – a new team record – restoring the Toronto's advantage after 13 shutout innings and changing the momentum of the night.

Ohtani's Night

That hit also ended Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 consecutive at-bats reaching base. The two-way star had smashed two home runs and got on base a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 walk-off. But on that night, he took the mound on short rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the previous marathon.

Ohtani fastball velocity sat under his seasonal norm and he labored more as the contest wore on. Nonetheless, he displayed glimpses of his usual control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and striking out six. He even walked in the first to extend his World Series record. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six hits and four runs were credited to him in over six innings.

Seventh Inning Rally

The bigger issue for the Dodgers was what came next when Ohtani eventually ran out of steam.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh inning with a clean hit to right, and Clement drilled a two-base hit off the wall to put runners on with no outs. Roberts had little choice but to remove the starter, who departed to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Dodgers' bullpen could not finish the inning.

Anthony Banda inherited the jam and immediately trailed in the count. Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before scoring the runner with a base hit to left field. France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove Banda out of the game. Blake Treinen came in next but also was unable to stop the momentum: Bo Bichette and Barger hit RBI base hits through the diamond, capping a four-run outburst that extended the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Toronto's capacity to withstand early blows and respond has characterized their whole run. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the injured top-of-the-order hitter who left the third game after straining his right side.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what the Blue Jays needed. Acquired during the summer while finishing recovery from elbow surgery, the former award-winning winner stranded multiple baserunners and quieted the Dodgers' potent batting order. He gave up one earned run on four base hits and three walks before Schneider summoned rookie left-hander Mason Fluharty to confront the core of the order in the sixth inning. He required just 4 throws to retire Muncy and Edman, protecting a narrow advantage that quickly became comfortable.

Former starter Chris Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' offense kept to struggle. Los Angeles have scored only 3 scores over their last 20 frames, an abrupt slowdown for a team that ranked among baseball's elite lineups all year.

Final Innings

The Dodgers scraped a run in the ninth inning when Edman hit into an out to score Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's two-base hit put runners aboard. But Varland finished the game without allowing a comeback to build.

Following a night when Toronto stranded a World Series-record 19 runners and fell apart after wave upon wave of missed chances, Game 4 was brutally efficient. Six separate Toronto players recorded hits, five drove in runs and the team converted nearly every run-scoring chance presented in the final innings.

Looking Ahead

The win guarantees the World Series title will be presented at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not celebrated a championship since Joe Carter's famous walk-off home run in 1993. They now are aware they are guaranteed a full crowd in Toronto on Friday evening – and possibly Saturday – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 approaches with the series even and momentum shifting to Toronto. Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Toronto's momentum. Toronto respond with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Blue Jays knocked out the starter early in an decisive win.