Guerrero Blasts against Shohei Ohtani as Blue Jays See Off Dodgers to Tie Series at 2-2

Only 24 hours after enduring one of the most draining losses in Fall Classic history, the Blue Jays played with total command.

Guerrero crushed a two-run homer and Bieber delivered a composed start as Toronto defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, tying the World Series at two wins apiece and ensuring the series will return to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had passed the morning of Tuesday processing their marathon Game 3 loss – equal to the longest World Series game ever – a defeat that cost them the opportunity to lead the series and burned through both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider insisted afterwards that “the Dodgers won a contest, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his team offered emphatic evidence.

Early Action

The Los Angeles again struck first. Muncy drew a walk in the second, moved up on a single and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial score did not rattle a Toronto club that led Major League Baseball with 49 comeback victories this year.

They responded immediately in the third inning. Lukes hit a one away base hit to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in hunting a curveball. Ohtani left a slider up and Guerrero sent it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his initial extra-base hit of the series and his seventh homer this postseason – a new club record – regaining the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 scoreless innings and changing the momentum of the game.

Ohtani's Night

That hit also halted Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 consecutive at-bats reaching base. The dual-threat star had hit two home runs and got on base a historic nine times in the Dodgers' third game walk-off. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on short rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the previous marathon.

Ohtani pitch speed sat under his seasonal average and he struggled more as the game progressed. Even so, he showed glimpses of his usual command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and fanning six. He even walked in the first to continue his World Series streak. But the Toronto made him work: six base hits and four earned runs were credited to him in over six innings.

Late Game Surge

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

Varsho opened the seventh with a clean hit to right field, and Ernie Clement smashed a double off the wall to put runners on with no outs. Dave Roberts had little choice but to pull Ohtani, who exited to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Dodgers' bullpen could not finish the inning.

Banda came into the jam and right away fell behind. Giménez battled to a full count before scoring the runner with a base hit to left field. Ty France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove Banda out of the game. Blake Treinen came in next but also failed to stem the rally: Bichette and Barger punched run-scoring base hits through the infield, capping a four-score barrage that extended the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Blue Jays's ability to withstand initial setbacks and answer has defined their whole postseason. They once again succeeded without Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order hitter who left the third game after straining his oblique.

Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what the Blue Jays required. Acquired during the summer while finishing rehab from elbow surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner stranded multiple runners and silenced the Dodgers' dangerous lineup. He gave up one run on four hits and three free passes before the manager called on rookie left-hander Mason Fluharty to confront the heart of the order in the sixth inning. Fluharty required just 4 pitches to get out Muncy and Edman, protecting a narrow lead that quickly became safe.

Converted starter Chris Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' bats continued to struggle. The Dodgers have produced only 3 scores over their previous 20 frames, an sudden downturn for a team that was among baseball's top offenses all year.

Closing Moments

The Los Angeles scraped a score in the ninth when Edman hit into an out to score Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's two-base hit put runners aboard. But Varland closed it down without permitting a comeback to build.

After a night when Toronto stranded a World Series-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after repeated of wasted opportunities, Game 4 was brutally efficient. 6 separate Toronto players collected hits, five drove in scores and the team converted almost every run-scoring chance presented in the late stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The win guarantees the World Series trophy will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not won a title since Joe Carter's famous game-winning home run in '93. They now are aware they are assured a full crowd in Canada on Friday night – and possibly Saturday – no matter what occurs next in LA.

The fifth game looms with the matchup even and momentum shifting to Toronto. Dodgers left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Blue Jays's surge. The Blue Jays respond with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Toronto chased the starter quickly in an decisive victory.