Vladimir Guerrero Jr Blasts against Ohtani as Toronto Defeat Dodgers to Level Series at 2-2

Only 24 hours after enduring one of the most draining losses in World Series annals, the Toronto Blue Jays played with total control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber delivered a steady outing as the Blue Jays defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, tying the Fall Classic at two games each and guaranteeing the series will return to Toronto.

Toronto had passed the early hours of the next day dealing with their marathon Game 3 loss – equal to the lengthiest Fall Classic game ever – a loss that cost them the chance to take the lead in the series and burned through both relief corps. Manager John Schneider stated afterwards that “the Dodgers took a game, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his team offered convincing evidence.

Early Action

The Los Angeles again scored first. Max Muncy walked in the second, advanced on a single and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early breakthrough did not rattle a Toronto club that topped Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind wins this season.

They answered immediately in the third inning. Lukes lined a one-out single to center field and Guerrero came to the plate looking for a curveball. Shohei Ohtani left a slider up and he sent it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his first long hit of the World Series and his 7th home run this postseason – a fresh team record – regaining the Blue Jays's lead after 13 scoreless innings and shifting the tone of the game.

Shohei's Night

That swing also ended Shohei Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 straight plate appearances getting on base. The dual-threat phenomenon had smashed two home runs and got on base a record nine times in the Dodgers' third game walk-off. But on Tuesday, he started on limited rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the prior marathon.

His fastball velocity was below his seasonal norm and he struggled more as the contest wore on. Nonetheless, he showed glimpses of his usual 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 base hits and four runs were charged to him in six-plus frames.

Late Game Surge

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

Daulton Varsho started the seventh inning with a sharp single to right, and Ernie Clement smashed a two-base hit off the wall to put runners on with none out. Roberts had no option but to pull Ohtani, who departed to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not finish the inning.

Banda came into the mess and immediately fell behind. Andrés Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before scoring Varsho with a base hit to left. Ty France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock Banda out of the contest. Treinen came in next but also was unable to stem the rally: Bo Bichette and Barger hit RBI singles through the diamond, completing a four-score outburst that extended the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Toronto's ability to absorb initial setbacks and respond has characterized their whole run. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the injured leadoff hitter who exited the third game after tweaking his right side.

Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what the Blue Jays needed. Traded for during the summer while finishing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the ex- award-winning winner stranded multiple runners and quieted the Dodgers' dangerous batting order. He allowed one earned run on four hits and three free passes before the manager called on first-year pitcher Fluharty to face the core of the lineup in the sixth. He required just four pitches to get out Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a fragile advantage that quickly became comfortable.

Converted starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' offense continued to sputter. The Dodgers have produced only three runs over their previous 20 innings, an abrupt downturn for a team that was among baseball's elite offenses all season.

Final Innings

The Los Angeles scraped a score in the ninth when Edman grounded out to score Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's double put two aboard. But Louis Varland finished the game without permitting a rally to develop.

Following a game when the Blue Jays stranded a World Series-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after wave upon wave of missed opportunities, Game 4 was brutally effective. 6 separate Toronto players collected hits, 5 drove in runs and the team converted almost every scoring opportunity presented in the final stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The victory guarantees the World Series trophy will be presented at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not won a title since Joe Carter's iconic walk-off home run in '93. They now are aware they are guaranteed a full crowd in Canada on Friday evening – and possibly Saturday – no matter what occurs next in LA.

The fifth game approaches with the series even and energy shifting north. Dodgers left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Toronto's surge. Toronto counter with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Toronto knocked out the starter early in an 11-4 victory.