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

Only 24 hours following staggering through one of the most draining losses in Fall Classic history, the Toronto Blue Jays played with complete control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run homer and Bieber delivered a composed start as the Blue Jays defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, squaring the Fall Classic at two games each and guaranteeing the matchup will return to Canada.

Toronto had passed the morning of Tuesday dealing with their 18-inning Game 3 loss – tied for the lengthiest World Series game 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 won a game, not the World Series”. A day later, his team provided emphatic evidence.

Initial Innings

The Los Angeles again struck first. Max Muncy walked in the second inning, moved up on a base hit and scored on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the initial breakthrough did not rattle a Toronto team that led Major League Baseball with 49 comeback victories this season.

They responded immediately in the third inning. Nathan Lukes hit a one away base hit to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in hunting a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani threw a sweeper up and Guerrero drove it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his initial extra-base hit of the World Series and his seventh homer this postseason – a new team mark – regaining the Toronto's lead after 13 shutout frames and changing the tone of the night.

Shohei's Performance

That hit also ended Ohtani's history-making run of 11 consecutive plate appearances reaching base. The two-way star had smashed two home runs and reached safely a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' third game walk-off. But on Tuesday, he started on limited rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the prior marathon.

Ohtani pitch speed was below his seasonal norm and he struggled more as the contest progressed. Even so, he showed glimpses of his usual command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first to extend his Fall Classic record. But the Toronto made him work: six hits and four earned runs were credited to him in over six frames.

Seventh Inning Surge

The bigger problem for Los Angeles was what followed when Ohtani finally lost steam.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh inning with a clean hit to right field, and Ernie Clement drilled a double off the fence to put runners on with no outs. Dave Roberts had no option but to remove the starter, who exited to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not finish the escape.

Anthony Banda came into the mess and immediately trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before scoring Varsho with a single to left. France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove the pitcher out of the contest. Blake Treinen came in next but also failed to stem the momentum: Bichette and Barger hit run-scoring singles through the diamond, capping a four-run barrage that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Toronto's ability to withstand early blows and respond has characterized their whole run. They once again succeeded without Springer, the hurt leadoff hitter who exited the third game after tweaking his oblique.

Bieber, meanwhile, was everything the Blue Jays required. Acquired during the summer while finishing recovery from elbow surgery, the former Cy Young winner left several runners and silenced the Los Angeles' potent batting order. He allowed one earned run on four hits and three walks before the manager called on rookie left-hander Fluharty to face the core of the lineup in the sixth inning. Fluharty required just 4 throws to retire Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a narrow advantage that soon became safe.

Converted starter Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' bats continued to struggle. The Dodgers have produced only 3 runs over their last 20 innings, an sudden slowdown for a team that ranked among baseball's top offenses all year.

Closing Moments

The Dodgers scraped a run in the ninth when Tommy Edman hit into an out to score Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's two-base hit put two on base. But Louis Varland closed it down without permitting a comeback to develop.

Following a game when the Blue Jays left a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after wave upon wave of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was brutally effective. 6 separate Blue Jays collected base hits, 5 drove in scores and the team cashed nearly every run-scoring opportunity available in the final innings.

Next Up

The win guarantees the World Series trophy will be presented at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not won a championship since Joe Carter's famous game-winning home run in '93. They now know they are assured a full crowd in Toronto on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what happens next in LA.

Game 5 approaches with the series even and energy swinging north. Dodgers pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Blue Jays's surge. The Blue Jays respond with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Toronto knocked out the starter early in an 11-4 win.