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

Only 24 hours following staggering through one of the most draining defeats in World Series history, the Blue Jays played with complete control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber delivered a steady outing as Toronto defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, tying the Fall Classic at two games each and guaranteeing the series will head back to Canada.

The Blue Jays had spent the early hours of the next day dealing with their 18-inning third game defeat – tied for the lengthiest Fall Classic game ever – a loss that cost them the chance to lead the series and burned through both relief corps. Skipper Schneider insisted afterwards that “they won a game, not the World Series”. A day later, his team provided emphatic evidence.

Initial Action

The Los Angeles again scored first. Muncy walked in the second inning, advanced on a single and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the early breakthrough did not shake a Blue Jays team that led Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind victories this season.

They responded immediately in the third. Nathan Lukes lined a one-out single to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate looking for a breaking ball. Ohtani threw a slider up and Guerrero sent it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his first extra-base hit of the series and his seventh home run this postseason – a fresh club record – restoring the Toronto's lead after 13 shutout innings and changing the tone of the game.

Ohtani's Night

That hit also halted Shohei Ohtani's history-making run of 11 consecutive at-bats reaching base. The two-way star had hit two home runs and reached safely a historic nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 comeback win. But on that night, he took the mound on short rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the previous marathon.

Ohtani fastball velocity sat under his seasonal average and he labored more as the contest wore on. Even so, he showed glimpses of his usual command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and striking out six. He even walked in the first to extend his Fall Classic record. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six base hits and four earned runs were credited to him in six-plus innings.

Late Game Surge

The bigger issue for the Dodgers was what came next when he finally lost steam.

Varsho opened the seventh with a clean hit to right field, and Ernie Clement smashed a two-base hit off the fence to put two on with no outs. Dave Roberts had no option but to remove Ohtani, who departed to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Dodgers' relief corps could not complete the inning.

Anthony Banda came into the jam and immediately fell behind. Giménez battled to a full count before driving in Varsho with a single to left field. France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock the pitcher out of the game. Treinen entered next but also failed to stem the rally: Bichette and Addison Barger punched RBI base hits through the diamond, completing a four-score barrage that extended the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Blue Jays's ability to withstand early blows and answer has defined their whole postseason. They once again succeeded without Springer, the injured leadoff man who exited the third game after tweaking his right side.

Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what the Blue Jays required. Traded for mid-season while finishing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the former Cy Young winner stranded multiple runners and silenced the Los Angeles' dangerous 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 confront the core of the order in the sixth. He required just four pitches to retire Muncy and Edman, preserving a fragile lead that soon became comfortable.

Former starting pitcher Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' bats continued to sputter. The Dodgers have produced only three scores over their previous 20 frames, an sudden slowdown for a team that ranked among baseball's elite lineups all year.

Final Innings

The Los Angeles scraped a run in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman grounded out to score Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Muncy's two-base hit put two on base. But Louis Varland finished the game without allowing a rally to build.

After a night when the Blue Jays left a World Series-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after repeated of wasted chances, the fourth contest was ruthlessly efficient. Six different Toronto players collected base hits, 5 drove in scores and the team cashed almost every run-scoring opportunity presented in the final innings.

Looking Ahead

The win ensures the World Series trophy will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not won a title since Carter's famous game-winning homer in '93. They now know they are assured a packed house in Toronto on Friday night – and perhaps the next day – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 looms with the matchup even and energy shifting north. Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Blue Jays's surge. Toronto respond with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Blue Jays chased the starter quickly in an 11-4 win.