Guerrero Homers off Shohei Ohtani as Toronto Defeat Los Angeles to Tie World Series at 2-2

Only 24 hours following staggering through one of the most exhausting losses in World Series history, the Blue Jays displayed complete command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber provided a steady outing as the Blue Jays defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, tying the World Series at two wins apiece and ensuring the series will return to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had spent the morning of Tuesday processing their marathon Game 3 loss – equal to the longest Fall Classic game ever – a defeat that denied them the opportunity to lead the matchup and burned through both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider insisted later that “they took a game, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad offered convincing evidence.

Early Innings

The Los Angeles again scored first. Muncy drew a walk in the second, advanced on a single and scored on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early score did not shake a Blue Jays team that topped MLB with 49 comeback victories this season.

They responded immediately in the third inning. Nathan Lukes lined a one-out single to center field and Guerrero came to the plate looking for a curveball. Ohtani threw a slider up and he sent it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his initial long hit of the series and his 7th home run this postseason – a fresh club mark – regaining the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 shutout frames and changing the tone of the game.

Shohei's Performance

That hit also halted Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 consecutive at-bats getting on base. The two-way star had hit two homers and reached safely a record nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 comeback win. But on that night, he took the mound on short rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the prior extra-inning game.

Ohtani fastball velocity sat below his seasonal norm and he struggled more as the contest progressed. Nonetheless, he displayed glimpses of his usual control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first to extend his World Series streak. But the Toronto made him work: six base hits and four earned runs were charged to him in six-plus frames.

Late Game Rally

The bigger problem for the Dodgers was what followed when he finally ran out of steam.

Varsho opened the seventh inning with a clean single to right, and Clement drilled a double off the wall 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 Los Angeles' bullpen could not finish the inning.

Banda came into the mess and right away fell behind. Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before driving in Varsho with a single to left field. France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock the pitcher out of the contest. Treinen came in next but also failed to stem the rally: Bo Bichette and Barger hit RBI singles through the diamond, completing a four-run outburst that extended the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Toronto's capacity to absorb early blows and respond has characterized their whole run. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the injured top-of-the-order man who exited the third game after straining his oblique.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was everything the Blue Jays needed. Acquired mid-season while finishing rehab from elbow surgery, the former Cy Young winner left several baserunners and silenced the Los Angeles' potent batting order. He allowed one earned run on four hits and three free passes before the manager summoned first-year left-hander Mason Fluharty to confront the core of the order in the sixth inning. Fluharty required just four pitches to get out Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a narrow lead that quickly grew comfortable.

Former starting pitcher Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' offense kept to struggle. The Dodgers have scored only three scores over their previous 20 innings, an abrupt downturn for a team that was among baseball's top offenses all season.

Closing Innings

The Dodgers managed a score in the ninth when Edman grounded out to bring home Hernández after a walk and Muncy's double put two on base. But Louis Varland finished the game without permitting a rally to build.

After a night when the Blue Jays left a World Series-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after wave upon wave of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was brutally effective. Six separate Toronto players collected hits, five drove in runs and the team cashed almost every run-scoring chance presented in the final innings.

Looking Ahead

The win ensures the World Series trophy will be presented at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not won a title since Carter's famous walk-off home run in '93. They now know they are guaranteed a packed house in Toronto on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what occurs next in LA.

The fifth game looms with the matchup even and energy shifting north. Los Angeles pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Blue Jays's momentum. The Blue Jays counter with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Blue Jays chased Snell quickly in an 11-4 win.