Vladimir Guerrero Jr Blasts off Shohei Ohtani as Blue Jays Defeat Dodgers to Tie Series at 2-2

Less than a day after enduring one of the most draining defeats in World Series annals, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed total command.

Guerrero crushed a two-run home run and Bieber provided a composed start as Toronto defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, tying the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and ensuring the series will head back to Canada.

The Blue Jays had spent the early hours of the next day processing their marathon third game defeat – tied for the longest World Series contest ever – a defeat that denied them the chance to lead the matchup and depleted both bullpens. Skipper John Schneider insisted later that “they took a game, not the World Series”. A day later, his team offered emphatic proof.

Initial Action

The Dodgers again struck first. Max Muncy walked in the second inning, moved up on a single and crossed the plate on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial breakthrough did not rattle a Blue Jays club that led Major League Baseball with 49 comeback victories this year.

They responded immediately in the third. Lukes hit a one away single to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in hunting a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani left a sweeper up and he drove it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his first long hit of the series and his seventh homer this playoffs – a fresh team mark – regaining the Blue Jays's lead after 13 scoreless innings and shifting the tone of the game.

Shohei's Performance

That hit also ended Shohei Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 consecutive plate appearances getting on base. The dual-threat phenomenon had hit two homers and got on base a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 comeback win. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on short rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the previous extra-inning game.

His pitch speed was under his regular-season average and he labored more as the contest wore on. Even so, he displayed glimpses of his typical control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first to extend his Fall Classic streak. But the Blue Jays made him work: six base hits and four runs were charged to him in six-plus innings.

Seventh Inning Rally

The larger issue for Los Angeles was what came next when he finally lost energy.

Daulton Varsho started the seventh with a sharp single to right, and Ernie Clement smashed a two-base hit off the fence to put two on with none out. Roberts had little choice but to remove Ohtani, who exited to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not finish the escape.

Banda came into the mess and immediately fell behind. Andrés Giménez fought to a full count before driving in Varsho with a single to left. Ty France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock Banda out of the game. Treinen entered next but also failed to stem the rally: Bichette and Barger hit RBI singles through the infield, capping a four-score barrage that extended the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Blue Jays's capacity to withstand initial blows and respond has characterized their entire postseason. They once again did it without Springer, the injured leadoff man who exited the third game after tweaking his oblique.

Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what the Blue Jays required. Acquired during the summer while finishing rehab from elbow surgery, the ex- award-winning winner stranded multiple runners and silenced the Dodgers' potent batting order. He allowed one run on four base hits and three free passes before the manager called on first-year left-hander Fluharty to face the core of the lineup in the sixth inning. Fluharty needed just four throws to get out Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a fragile advantage that quickly became comfortable.

Converted starting pitcher Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' bats kept to struggle. Los Angeles have scored only three scores over their previous 20 innings, an abrupt slowdown for a team that ranked among MLB's top offenses all year.

Final Moments

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

After a game when Toronto left a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after repeated of missed opportunities, Game 4 was brutally efficient. Six separate Blue Jays collected base hits, five drove in runs and the squad cashed nearly every run-scoring opportunity available in the late stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The win ensures the championship title will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not celebrated a championship since Joe Carter's iconic game-winning home run in '93. They now are aware they are assured a full house in Toronto on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 looms with the matchup reset and energy shifting north. Los Angeles pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Blue Jays's momentum. Toronto respond with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Toronto chased Snell early in an 11-4 victory.