Guerrero Homers off Shohei Ohtani as Blue Jays Defeat Los Angeles to Level World Series at 2-2

Only 24 hours after enduring one of the most draining defeats in World Series annals, the Blue Jays played with complete command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run homer and Bieber provided a steady outing as Toronto defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, tying the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the matchup will return to Toronto.

Toronto had passed the morning of the next day processing their marathon third game defeat – equal to the longest World Series contest ever – a defeat that denied them the opportunity to lead the matchup and burned through both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider insisted afterwards that “they took a contest, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his team provided emphatic proof.

Initial Innings

The Dodgers again struck first. Muncy drew a walk in the second, advanced on a single and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the initial breakthrough did not shake a Blue Jays club that led Major League Baseball with 49 comeback wins this season.

They responded right away in the third. Nathan Lukes lined a one away single to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate hunting a curveball. Ohtani threw a sweeper up and he sent it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his first long hit of the World Series and his seventh home run this postseason – a fresh club record – restoring the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 shutout innings and shifting the tone of the game.

Shohei's Night

That hit also ended Shohei Ohtani's history-making run of 11 straight at-bats reaching base. The dual-threat phenomenon had smashed two homers and reached safely a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 comeback win. But on that night, he took the mound on short rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the prior marathon.

Ohtani pitch speed sat below his regular-season average and he struggled more as the game wore on. Nonetheless, he displayed flashes of his typical control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and fanning six. He even walked in the first to extend his World Series streak. But the Toronto made him work: six hits and four earned runs were credited to him in six-plus innings.

Late Game Rally

The bigger issue for Los Angeles was what followed when he finally ran out of steam.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh with a sharp single to right, and Ernie Clement drilled a double off the fence to put runners on with no outs. Dave Roberts had little choice but to remove the starter, who departed to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not complete the inning.

Anthony Banda inherited the jam and immediately fell behind. Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before driving in the runner with a base hit to left. Ty France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock the pitcher out of the game. Blake Treinen came in next but also failed to stop the rally: Bichette and Addison Barger punched run-scoring singles through the diamond, completing a four-run outburst that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Toronto's ability to withstand initial setbacks and answer has characterized their entire run. They once again did it without Springer, the injured top-of-the-order hitter who exited Game 3 after tweaking his oblique.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was everything Toronto required. Acquired mid-season while finishing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner stranded several baserunners and silenced the Dodgers' dangerous batting order. He gave up one earned run on four hits and three free passes before the manager summoned rookie pitcher Fluharty to confront the heart of the order in the sixth inning. Fluharty required just 4 pitches to retire Muncy and Edman, protecting a fragile advantage that quickly grew comfortable.

Converted starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' bats continued to sputter. The Dodgers have scored only 3 scores over their previous 20 innings, an sudden slowdown for a team that was among baseball's top offenses all year.

Closing Innings

The Dodgers managed a score in the ninth when Tommy Edman grounded out to score Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's double put runners on base. But Varland closed it down without allowing a comeback to build.

Following a night when the Blue Jays stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after wave upon wave of missed chances, the fourth contest was ruthlessly effective. Six separate Blue Jays collected hits, five drove in runs and the squad converted nearly every run-scoring opportunity presented in the final innings.

Next Up

The victory ensures the World Series trophy will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not celebrated a title since Joe Carter's iconic walk-off homer in '93. They now are aware they are assured a packed house in Toronto on Friday night – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 looms with the series even and momentum swinging to Toronto. Los Angeles pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Toronto's surge. The Blue Jays counter with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Blue Jays chased Snell early in an 11-4 win.