Vladimir Guerrero Jr Blasts off Shohei Ohtani as Toronto Defeat Dodgers to Tie World Series at 2-2

Only 24 hours following staggering through one of the most exhausting losses in Fall Classic history, the Blue Jays played with complete control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber provided a steady outing as Toronto defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, squaring the Fall Classic at two games each and guaranteeing the matchup will return to Canada.

The Blue Jays had passed the morning of the next day processing their 18-inning Game 3 loss – tied for the lengthiest Fall Classic contest ever – a defeat that denied them the opportunity to take the lead in the matchup and burned through both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider stated afterwards that “they took a contest, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his team offered convincing proof.

Early Action

The Los Angeles again scored first. Muncy drew a walk in the second, moved up on a base hit and scored on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial breakthrough did not rattle a Blue Jays club that led Major League Baseball with 49 comeback victories this year.

They responded right away in the third. Nathan Lukes hit a one away base hit to centre and Guerrero came to the plate looking for a curveball. Shohei Ohtani threw a slider up and he sent it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his initial extra-base hit of the World Series and his 7th home run this postseason – a fresh club mark – restoring the Blue Jays's lead after 13 shutout innings and changing the momentum of the night.

Ohtani's Night

That hit also ended Shohei Ohtani's history-making run of 11 straight at-bats getting on base. The dual-threat phenomenon had hit two homers and got on base a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 walk-off. But on Tuesday, he started on short rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the prior marathon.

His fastball velocity sat under his seasonal norm and he struggled more as the game wore on. Nonetheless, he showed glimpses of his typical command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and striking out six. He even walked in the first inning to extend his World Series streak. But the Blue Jays made him work: six hits and four runs were credited to him in six-plus innings.

Late Game Rally

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

Varsho opened the seventh with a sharp single to right field, and Ernie Clement smashed a two-base hit off the fence to put runners on with no outs. Roberts had no option but to remove Ohtani, who exited to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not complete the inning.

Banda came into the mess and immediately fell behind. Andrés Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before scoring the runner with a single to left. Ty France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock the pitcher out of the game. Treinen came in next but also was unable to stop the rally: Bichette and Barger hit run-scoring base hits through the diamond, completing a four-score outburst that extended the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Blue Jays's capacity to withstand initial setbacks and respond has characterized their entire postseason. They once again did it without George Springer, the injured leadoff man who left the third game after tweaking his right side.

Bieber, in contrast, was everything Toronto needed. Acquired mid-season while completing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner left multiple runners and silenced the Dodgers' dangerous lineup. He allowed one run on four hits and three walks before the manager summoned first-year pitcher Mason Fluharty to confront the heart of the order in the sixth. He needed just four pitches to get out Max Muncy and Edman, protecting a narrow lead that soon grew safe.

Converted starter Chris Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' offense continued to struggle. The Dodgers have scored only 3 scores over their last 20 frames, an sudden slowdown for a club that ranked among MLB's elite lineups all year.

Final Innings

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

Following a night when the Blue Jays left a World Series-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after repeated of wasted chances, the fourth contest was ruthlessly effective. Six separate Blue Jays collected base hits, 5 drove in scores and the squad converted almost every run-scoring opportunity available in the late innings.

Next Up

The win guarantees the World Series title will be presented at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not won a title since Joe Carter's famous game-winning home run in 1993. They now know they are guaranteed a full crowd in Toronto on Friday night – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what occurs next in LA.

The fifth game looms with the matchup even and momentum shifting north. Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Blue Jays's momentum. The Blue Jays respond with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Toronto knocked out the starter quickly in an 11-4 win.