Guerrero Homers against Shohei Ohtani as Toronto See Off Dodgers to Level Series at 2-2

Only 24 hours following staggering through one of the most exhausting defeats in World Series history, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed total command.

Guerrero crushed a two-run homer and Bieber delivered a composed outing as the Blue Jays beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, squaring the World Series at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the series will return to Canada.

Toronto had passed the early hours of the next day dealing with their 18-inning third game defeat – equal to the lengthiest Fall Classic game ever – a loss that cost them the opportunity to take the lead in the series and burned through both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider insisted afterwards that “they won a game, not the World Series”. A day later, his squad provided convincing proof.

Early Action

The Dodgers again struck first. Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, moved up on a single and scored on Hernández's fly out. But the early breakthrough did not shake a Toronto club that led Major League Baseball with 49 comeback wins this year.

They responded right away in the third inning. Lukes lined a one-out single to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in looking for a breaking ball. Ohtani left a sweeper up and Guerrero sent it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his first extra-base hit of the World Series and his 7th home run this postseason – a fresh club record – restoring the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 shutout innings and shifting the tone of the night.

Ohtani's Night

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

His pitch speed was under his regular-season average and he struggled more as the contest wore on. Nonetheless, he displayed flashes of his typical command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to continue his Fall Classic streak. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six base hits and four earned runs were credited to him in over six innings.

Seventh Inning Surge

The bigger problem for Los Angeles was what followed when Ohtani finally ran out of steam.

Varsho opened the seventh with a sharp hit to right, and Clement drilled a two-base hit off the wall to put runners on with no outs. Roberts had no option but to pull Ohtani, who departed to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not finish the inning.

Anthony Banda inherited the mess and immediately fell behind. Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before driving in the runner with a single to left field. France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock Banda out of the game. Blake Treinen came in next but also was unable to stem the momentum: Bichette and Addison Barger hit run-scoring singles through the infield, completing a four-score barrage that extended the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Toronto's ability to absorb initial blows and respond has defined their entire postseason. They once again succeeded without Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order man who left Game 3 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 left multiple runners and quieted the Los Angeles' dangerous lineup. He gave up one earned run on four hits and three free passes before Schneider called on rookie pitcher Mason Fluharty to confront the heart of the lineup in the sixth inning. Fluharty required just 4 pitches to retire Max Muncy and Edman, preserving a narrow advantage that quickly grew comfortable.

Former starter Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' bats continued to sputter. Los Angeles have produced only three scores over their previous 20 frames, an sudden slowdown for a team that was among MLB's top lineups all year.

Closing Moments

The Los Angeles managed a score in the ninth when Edman grounded out to bring home Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's double put runners on base. But Varland closed it down without allowing a rally to build.

After a night when Toronto stranded a World Series-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after repeated of wasted chances, the fourth contest was brutally effective. 6 separate Toronto players collected base hits, five brought home scores and the team cashed almost every scoring opportunity presented in the late innings.

Looking Ahead

The victory guarantees the championship title will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not celebrated a championship since Joe Carter's iconic walk-off home run in 1993. They now know they are guaranteed a packed house in Canada on Friday evening – and possibly the next day – no matter what occurs next in LA.

Game 5 looms with the series even and energy shifting north. Los Angeles left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Toronto's surge. The Blue Jays respond with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Blue Jays chased Snell quickly in an 11-4 win.