Guerrero Blasts against Ohtani as Blue Jays Defeat Dodgers to Tie World Series at 2-2

Only 24 hours after enduring one of the most exhausting losses in World Series history, the Toronto Blue Jays played with complete command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber delivered a steady start as Toronto defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, squaring the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the series will return to Canada.

Toronto had passed the morning of Tuesday dealing with their 18-inning Game 3 loss – tied for the lengthiest World Series contest ever – a loss that cost them the opportunity to take the lead in the matchup and burned through both relief corps. Manager Schneider insisted later that “they took a game, not the World Series”. A day later, his team offered convincing proof.

Early Action

The Dodgers again struck first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second, moved up on a base hit and scored on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the initial score did not shake a Toronto club that led Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind wins this year.

They responded immediately in the third inning. Lukes hit a one-out single to centre and Guerrero came to the plate looking for a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani left a slider up and Guerrero drove it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his initial long hit of the World Series and his 7th home run this playoffs – a fresh club record – regaining the Toronto's lead after 13 scoreless innings and changing the tone of the game.

Shohei's Night

That hit also ended 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 record nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 comeback win. But on that night, he started on limited rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the prior extra-inning game.

His fastball velocity was under his regular-season average and he struggled more as the game progressed. Nonetheless, he displayed flashes of his typical control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to extend his Fall Classic record. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six base hits and four runs were credited to him in six-plus innings.

Late Game Rally

The bigger issue for Los Angeles was what followed when Ohtani finally lost energy.

Varsho opened the seventh with a sharp hit to right, and Ernie Clement smashed a double off the fence to put runners on with none out. Dave Roberts had little choice but to pull Ohtani, who departed to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Dodgers' bullpen could not finish the escape.

Banda came into the mess and immediately trailed in the count. Giménez fought to a full count before driving in the runner with a single to left. France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock Banda out of the contest. Blake Treinen came in next but also was unable to stop the momentum: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger punched run-scoring singles through the diamond, capping a four-score outburst that extended the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Toronto's capacity to withstand initial blows and respond has defined their entire postseason. They once again did it without George Springer, the injured leadoff hitter who left the third game after straining his right side.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what Toronto required. Traded for during the summer while finishing rehab from elbow surgery, the former Cy Young winner left multiple baserunners and silenced the Dodgers' potent batting order. He gave up one earned run on four base hits and three walks before Schneider summoned rookie pitcher Fluharty to face the heart of the lineup in the sixth. He needed just 4 pitches to retire Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a fragile advantage that soon grew safe.

Former starting pitcher Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' offense continued to sputter. The Dodgers have produced only three scores over their last 20 innings, an sudden downturn for a team that was among MLB's elite lineups all year.

Final Innings

The Dodgers scraped 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 Louis Varland finished the game without permitting a rally to develop.

Following a night when Toronto stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after repeated of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was ruthlessly efficient. Six different Blue Jays recorded base hits, 5 drove in scores and the squad cashed nearly every run-scoring opportunity available in the late stanzas.

Next Up

The win ensures the World Series trophy will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not won a title since Carter's iconic game-winning home run in 1993. They now are aware they are assured a packed house in Toronto on Friday night – and possibly the next day – no matter what occurs next in LA.

The fifth game approaches with the series reset and momentum swinging north. Dodgers pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Toronto's surge. The Blue Jays counter with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Blue Jays chased Snell early in an decisive win.