🔗 Share this article

Only 24 hours after staggering through one of the most draining defeats in Fall Classic history, the Toronto Blue Jays played with complete command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber delivered a composed start as the Blue Jays defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, squaring the World Series at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the series will head back to Toronto.

Toronto had passed the morning of the next day processing their marathon Game 3 loss – tied for the lengthiest World Series contest ever – a defeat that denied them the opportunity to lead the series and depleted both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider stated later that “they won a game, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his team offered emphatic proof.

Initial Action

The Dodgers again scored first. Muncy drew a walk in the second, moved up on a single and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the early score did not rattle a Toronto team that topped MLB with 49 come-from-behind victories this season.

They answered right away in the third. Lukes lined a one away single to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in looking for a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani left a slider up and Guerrero drove it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his first long hit of the series and his 7th homer this postseason – a new team mark – regaining the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 scoreless innings and changing the momentum of the game.

Shohei's Performance

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

Ohtani fastball velocity sat under his seasonal norm and he labored more as the contest wore on. Nonetheless, he displayed glimpses of his typical command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and striking out six. He even walked in the first to continue his World Series record. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six base hits and four runs were charged to him in six-plus frames.

Seventh Inning Surge

The bigger problem for the Dodgers was what followed when he finally lost energy.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh inning with a sharp hit to right, and Clement smashed a double off the wall to put two on with none out. Dave Roberts had no option but to pull the starter, who exited to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Dodgers' bullpen could not finish the escape.

Banda inherited the jam and immediately trailed in the count. Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before driving in the runner with a single to left. France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock the pitcher out of the contest. Blake Treinen came in next but also failed to stop the rally: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger punched RBI singles through the infield, completing a four-score outburst that extended the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Blue Jays's capacity to withstand initial setbacks and respond has defined their whole postseason. They once again did it without Springer, the injured top-of-the-order hitter who left Game 3 after tweaking his oblique.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was everything the Blue Jays required. Acquired mid-season while finishing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the former Cy Young winner left several baserunners and quieted the Dodgers' potent lineup. He allowed one run on four hits and three free passes before Schneider summoned first-year pitcher Mason Fluharty to confront the core of the order in the sixth inning. He needed just four throws to retire Muncy and Edman, preserving a fragile lead that soon became comfortable.

Converted starter Chris Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' offense kept to sputter. Los Angeles have scored only three scores over their previous 20 frames, an sudden slowdown for a club that was among MLB's top offenses all year.

Final Moments

The Dodgers managed a run in the ninth when Tommy Edman hit into an out to bring home Hernández after a walk and Muncy's double put two on base. But Varland closed it down without permitting a rally to build.

After a game when Toronto stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and fell apart after wave upon wave of wasted chances, the fourth contest was ruthlessly effective. Six different Blue Jays recorded hits, five drove in runs and the squad converted almost every run-scoring opportunity available in the late innings.

Next Up

The win guarantees the championship title will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a title since Joe Carter's iconic game-winning home run in 1993. They now know they are guaranteed a packed crowd in Canada on Friday evening – and perhaps the next day – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 looms with the matchup reset and energy shifting to Toronto. Los Angeles pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Toronto's momentum. The Blue Jays counter with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Toronto chased the starter early in an 11-4 win.