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

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

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber delivered a steady outing as Toronto beat the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, squaring the World Series at two games each and ensuring the matchup will return to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had passed the early hours of the next day processing their marathon third game defeat – equal to the longest Fall Classic contest ever – a defeat that cost them the opportunity to lead the matchup and burned through both bullpens. Skipper John Schneider stated later that “they won a game, not the championship”. A day later, his squad offered emphatic proof.

Initial Action

The Los Angeles again scored first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second, moved up on a single and scored on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the early breakthrough did not rattle a Blue Jays club that topped Major League Baseball with 49 comeback wins this year.

They responded immediately in the third. Lukes hit a one away single to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in hunting a curveball. Ohtani threw a slider up and Guerrero drove it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his initial extra-base hit of the series and his 7th home run this postseason – a fresh club record – restoring the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 shutout frames and shifting the momentum of the game.

Ohtani's Performance

That hit also ended Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 consecutive at-bats reaching base. The two-way star had hit two homers and got on base a record nine times in the Dodgers' third game comeback win. But on that night, he started on limited rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the prior marathon.

Ohtani fastball velocity was under his regular-season average and he struggled more as the contest wore on. Even so, he showed flashes of his typical command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and striking out 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 hits and four earned runs were charged to him in over six frames.

Late Game Rally

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

Varsho started the seventh inning with a clean hit to right field, and Clement drilled a two-base hit off the fence to put runners on with none out. Roberts had no option but to pull Ohtani, who departed to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Dodgers' bullpen could not finish the escape.

Anthony Banda inherited the mess and immediately fell behind. Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before scoring Varsho with a base hit to left. Ty France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock Banda out of the contest. Treinen entered next but also failed to stem the momentum: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger punched RBI singles through the infield, capping a four-score outburst that extended the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Blue Jays's ability to withstand initial blows and answer has defined their whole postseason. They once again did it without George Springer, the injured top-of-the-order man who left the third game after straining his oblique.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was everything the Blue Jays needed. Acquired mid-season while completing recovery from elbow surgery, the former award-winning winner left multiple baserunners and silenced the Los Angeles' dangerous batting order. He allowed one earned run on four base hits and three free passes before the manager called on rookie pitcher Mason Fluharty to confront the core of the lineup in the sixth. Fluharty needed just 4 pitches to retire Max Muncy and Edman, preserving a narrow advantage that quickly became safe.

Converted starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' offense kept to struggle. Los Angeles have produced only 3 runs over their previous 20 frames, an sudden slowdown for a team that was among MLB's elite lineups all year.

Closing Innings

The Los Angeles managed a run in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman grounded out to bring home Hernández after a walk and Muncy's two-base hit put runners on base. But Louis Varland finished the game without allowing a comeback to develop.

After a game when Toronto stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and fell apart after wave upon wave of missed opportunities, Game 4 was ruthlessly effective. Six different Blue Jays collected hits, five brought home runs and the squad converted nearly every run-scoring opportunity presented in the late stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The victory guarantees the World Series title will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not won a title since Joe Carter's famous walk-off homer in '93. They now know they are assured a full crowd in Toronto on Friday night – and possibly Saturday – no matter what happens next in LA.

The fifth game approaches with the matchup reset and momentum swinging north. Los Angeles left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Toronto's surge. The Blue Jays counter with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Toronto knocked out Snell early in an decisive win.