Vladimir Guerrero Jr Homers against Ohtani as Toronto See Off Los Angeles to Level World Series at 2-2

Only 24 hours after staggering through one of the most exhausting defeats in Fall Classic history, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed complete control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber provided a composed start as the Blue Jays defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, tying the World Series at two games each and ensuring the matchup will head back to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had passed the morning of Tuesday processing their 18-inning Game 3 loss – tied for the lengthiest World Series game ever – a defeat that denied them the chance to take the lead in the series and depleted both bullpens. Skipper Schneider stated later that “the Dodgers won a contest, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his team provided convincing proof.

Initial Action

The Dodgers again struck first. Max Muncy walked in the second, moved up on a single and scored on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial breakthrough did not shake a Toronto team that led Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind wins this season.

They answered right away in the third. Nathan Lukes hit a one-out single to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate hunting a curveball. Ohtani threw a slider up and he sent it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his initial extra-base hit of the series and his seventh homer this postseason – a fresh club mark – regaining the Toronto's lead after 13 shutout frames and shifting the tone of the game.

Ohtani's Night

That swing also halted Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 consecutive at-bats reaching base. The dual-threat phenomenon had hit two homers and got on base a record nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 walk-off. But on that night, he took the mound on limited rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the previous extra-inning game.

Ohtani fastball velocity was under his regular-season average and he struggled more as the contest wore on. Even so, he displayed flashes of his typical control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and fanning six. He even walked in the first inning to extend his World Series record. But the Blue Jays made him work: six base hits and four runs were charged to him in six-plus frames.

Late Game Surge

The larger problem for the Dodgers was what followed when Ohtani finally ran out of energy.

Varsho started the seventh with a clean hit to right, and Clement smashed a two-base hit off the fence to put two on with none out. Roberts had no option but to remove Ohtani, who departed to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Dodgers' relief corps could not complete the inning.

Banda came into the jam and right away trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez fought to a full count before driving in the runner with a single to left. Ty France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock the pitcher out of the contest. Blake Treinen entered next but also failed to stem the rally: Bichette and Barger punched run-scoring singles through the diamond, capping a four-score outburst that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Toronto's ability to absorb initial setbacks and respond has defined their whole run. They once again did it without George Springer, the injured top-of-the-order man who exited the third game after tweaking his right side.

Bieber, in contrast, was everything Toronto required. Acquired during the summer while finishing recovery from elbow surgery, the former award-winning winner stranded several runners and silenced the Dodgers' dangerous lineup. He allowed one earned run on four base hits and three free passes before the manager called on rookie left-hander Fluharty to confront the core of the order in the sixth. He needed just 4 pitches to retire Max Muncy and Edman, preserving a fragile advantage that quickly became safe.

Former starter Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' bats continued to struggle. The Dodgers have scored only three scores over their previous 20 innings, an abrupt downturn for a team that was among MLB's elite lineups all season.

Final Innings

The Dodgers managed a run in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman hit into an out to score Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's double put two on base. But Louis Varland finished the game without allowing a rally to build.

After a game when the Blue Jays left a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after wave upon wave of wasted chances, Game 4 was brutally effective. Six different Blue Jays recorded base hits, 5 brought home scores and the team converted almost every scoring opportunity presented in the final stanzas.

Next Up

The win guarantees the championship trophy will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not won a title since Carter's iconic walk-off home run in 1993. They now are aware they are guaranteed a packed crowd in Toronto on Friday night – and perhaps the next day – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 approaches with the matchup reset and momentum shifting to Toronto. Los Angeles pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Blue Jays's surge. Toronto counter with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Toronto knocked out Snell early in an decisive victory.