Vladimir Guerrero Jr Blasts against Ohtani as Toronto See Off Los Angeles to Level Series at 2-2

Less than a day after enduring one of the most draining defeats in World Series history, the Blue Jays played with total command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run home run and Bieber delivered a steady start as the Blue Jays defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, squaring the Fall Classic at two games each and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Toronto.

Toronto had passed the early hours of Tuesday dealing with their 18-inning third game defeat – equal to the lengthiest Fall Classic game ever – a loss that cost them the chance to take the lead in the matchup and burned through both relief corps. Manager Schneider stated later that “they won a contest, not the championship”. A day later, his squad provided emphatic evidence.

Early Action

The Dodgers again scored first. Muncy walked in the second, advanced on a base hit and scored on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early score did not shake a Blue Jays team that led MLB with 49 comeback wins this year.

They answered immediately in the third. Nathan Lukes hit a one away base hit to centre and Guerrero came to the plate looking for a breaking ball. Ohtani left a sweeper up and he drove it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his first extra-base hit of the series and his seventh home run this postseason – a new team record – restoring the Toronto's lead after 13 scoreless frames and shifting the momentum of the game.

Ohtani's Performance

That hit also halted Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 consecutive plate appearances reaching base. The dual-threat star had smashed two home runs and got on base a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' third game comeback win. But on Tuesday, he started on short rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the previous extra-inning game.

Ohtani pitch speed sat below his seasonal average and he struggled more as the contest progressed. Nonetheless, he displayed glimpses of his usual command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and fanning six. He even walked in the first inning to extend his World Series streak. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six base hits and four runs were charged to him in over six frames.

Seventh Inning Surge

The larger problem for Los Angeles was what came next when Ohtani finally ran out of energy.

Daulton Varsho started the seventh with a clean single to right, and Clement drilled a double off the wall to put runners on with no outs. Roberts had little choice but to remove the starter, who exited to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Dodgers' relief corps could not complete the inning.

Banda came into the jam and immediately fell behind. Giménez battled to a full count before scoring Varsho with a single to left. Ty France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock Banda out of the game. Treinen came in next but also failed to stop the momentum: Bo Bichette and Barger punched RBI singles through the infield, completing a four-score outburst that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Blue Jays's ability to absorb initial setbacks and respond has defined their entire postseason. They once again did it without George Springer, the injured leadoff man who exited Game 3 after tweaking his right side.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what the Blue Jays needed. Traded for during the summer while finishing rehab from elbow surgery, the ex- award-winning winner left multiple runners and quieted the Los Angeles' dangerous lineup. He gave up one run on four base hits and three free passes before Schneider called on first-year left-hander Fluharty to face the core of the order in the sixth inning. He needed just 4 pitches to retire Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a narrow lead that soon became safe.

Former starter Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' bats kept to sputter. Los Angeles have produced only 3 runs over their previous 20 innings, an sudden downturn for a club that was among baseball's elite lineups all season.

Final Moments

The Los Angeles managed a run in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman grounded out to score Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's double put runners aboard. But Louis Varland finished the game without permitting a comeback to build.

Following a night when the Blue Jays stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and collapsed after wave upon wave of wasted opportunities, Game 4 was brutally effective. Six different Toronto players recorded hits, five drove in runs and the squad cashed nearly every run-scoring chance presented in the final stanzas.

Next Up

The victory guarantees the World Series trophy will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a championship since Carter's iconic game-winning home run in 1993. They now are aware they are assured a full house in Canada on Friday night – and possibly the next day – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game looms with the series even and energy shifting to Toronto. Los Angeles pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Toronto's momentum. The Blue Jays respond with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Toronto knocked out Snell quickly in an 11-4 victory.