Vladimir Guerrero Jr Homers off Shohei Ohtani as Blue Jays See Off Dodgers to Tie World Series at 2-2

Only 24 hours after staggering through one of the most exhausting defeats in World Series annals, the Toronto Blue Jays played with total command.

Guerrero smashed a two-run home run and Bieber delivered a composed outing as Toronto defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, tying the World Series at two games each and ensuring the series will return to Canada.

The Blue Jays had passed the early hours of Tuesday processing their 18-inning third game defeat – equal to the lengthiest Fall Classic game ever – a defeat that denied them the chance to take the lead in the series and depleted both relief corps. Manager Schneider stated later that “they took a game, not the World Series”. A day later, his squad provided convincing evidence.

Early Action

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

They answered right away in the third. Nathan Lukes hit a one-out base hit to center field and Guerrero came to the plate looking for a breaking ball. Ohtani threw a slider up and he sent it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his initial extra-base hit of the series and his 7th homer this playoffs – a fresh team mark – regaining the Toronto's lead after 13 scoreless innings and changing the momentum of the game.

Ohtani's Performance

That hit also ended Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 consecutive at-bats getting on base. The two-way phenomenon had smashed two home runs and got on base a historic nine times in the Dodgers' third game walk-off. But on that night, he took the mound on limited rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the prior marathon.

His fastball velocity was under his seasonal norm and he struggled more as the game progressed. Even so, he displayed flashes of his typical command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and striking out six. He even walked in the first to continue his Fall Classic record. But the Blue Jays made him work: six base hits and four earned runs were credited to him in over six innings.

Late Game Rally

The bigger problem for Los Angeles was what followed when he finally ran out of energy.

Varsho started the seventh inning with a sharp single to right, and Ernie Clement drilled a double off the wall to put runners on with none out. Dave Roberts had little choice but to pull the starter, who exited to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Dodgers' relief corps could not finish the escape.

Anthony Banda came into the mess and right away fell behind. Andrés Giménez fought to a full count before scoring Varsho with a base hit to left. France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock Banda out of the contest. Treinen entered next but also failed to stop the rally: Bo Bichette and Barger punched run-scoring base hits through the infield, capping a four-score outburst that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Toronto's ability to withstand initial setbacks and answer has characterized their entire postseason. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the hurt leadoff man who left Game 3 after straining his oblique.

Bieber, meanwhile, was everything the Blue Jays required. Traded for during the summer while finishing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the former Cy Young winner stranded multiple baserunners and quieted the Dodgers' dangerous batting order. He allowed one earned run on four base hits and three walks before Schneider summoned rookie pitcher Mason Fluharty to face the core of the order in the sixth. He required just four pitches to get out Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a narrow lead that quickly grew safe.

Converted starter Chris Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' bats kept to struggle. Los Angeles have produced only 3 runs over their previous 20 innings, an abrupt slowdown for a club that ranked among MLB's top offenses 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 walk and Muncy's two-base hit put runners on base. But Varland finished the game without allowing a rally to develop.

After a night when Toronto stranded a World Series-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after repeated of wasted chances, the fourth contest was brutally effective. Six separate Toronto players recorded hits, 5 drove in scores and the squad converted nearly every run-scoring chance presented in the final stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The victory ensures the World Series title will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not won a title since Carter's famous game-winning homer in 1993. They now know they are assured a full house in Canada on Friday evening – and perhaps the next day – no matter what happens next in LA.

Game 5 looms with the series reset and momentum swinging north. Dodgers pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Blue Jays's surge. Toronto respond with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Blue Jays knocked out Snell early in an decisive victory.