🔗 Share this article

Only 24 hours following staggering through one of the most draining defeats in Fall Classic history, the Blue Jays displayed complete command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run home run and Bieber delivered a steady start as the Blue Jays defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, squaring the World Series at two games each and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Toronto.

Toronto had passed the early hours of Tuesday dealing with their marathon Game 3 loss – tied for the longest Fall Classic game ever – a defeat that cost them the opportunity to lead the matchup and burned through both bullpens. Manager John Schneider insisted later that “they won a contest, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his team offered convincing evidence.

Initial Innings

The Dodgers again struck first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, moved up on a base hit and crossed the plate on Hernández's fly out. But the initial score did not rattle a Toronto club that led Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind victories this season.

They responded immediately in the third. Nathan Lukes hit a one away base hit to centre and Guerrero came to the plate looking for a breaking ball. Ohtani left a sweeper up and he sent it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his first extra-base hit of the series and his 7th homer this playoffs – a new club record – regaining the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 shutout innings and changing the tone of the game.

Shohei's Night

That hit also halted Shohei Ohtani's history-making run of 11 consecutive at-bats reaching base. The dual-threat star had smashed two homers and reached safely a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' third game comeback win. But on that night, he started on limited rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the prior marathon.

Ohtani pitch speed was under his regular-season average and he struggled more as the contest wore on. Nonetheless, he showed flashes of his typical command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and fanning six. He even walked in the first to extend his World Series streak. But the Blue Jays made him work: six hits and four earned runs were charged to him in six-plus innings.

Seventh Inning Surge

The larger problem for Los Angeles was what came next when Ohtani eventually ran out of energy.

Varsho started the seventh inning with a clean single to right, and Ernie Clement smashed a double off the wall to put runners on with no outs. Dave Roberts had no option but to pull Ohtani, who exited to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Dodgers' relief corps could not finish the inning.

Anthony Banda came into the mess and immediately fell behind. Giménez fought to a full count before driving in the runner with a base hit to left. Ty France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove Banda out of the game. Blake Treinen entered next but also was unable to stop the rally: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger hit run-scoring base hits through the diamond, capping a four-score barrage that extended the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Toronto's ability to absorb initial blows and respond has defined their whole postseason. They once again succeeded without Springer, the injured top-of-the-order hitter who left Game 3 after straining his right side.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what the Blue Jays required. Traded for mid-season while finishing rehab from elbow surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner left multiple runners and silenced the Dodgers' dangerous batting order. He allowed one earned run on four hits and three walks before Schneider called on rookie left-hander Fluharty to confront the core of the order in the sixth. He required just four pitches to get out Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a fragile advantage that soon became comfortable.

Former starter Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' bats kept to sputter. The Dodgers have scored only three runs over their previous 20 frames, an sudden downturn for a club that ranked among baseball's top offenses all year.

Closing Moments

The Dodgers managed a score in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman grounded out to score Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's double put two aboard. But Louis Varland closed it down without permitting a rally to develop.

After a game when the Blue Jays stranded a World Series-record 19 runners and fell apart after wave upon wave of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was brutally efficient. 6 different Blue Jays recorded base hits, 5 drove in scores and the team converted nearly every scoring opportunity available 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 Carter's famous game-winning home run in 1993. They now know they are assured a full house in Toronto on Friday evening – and perhaps the next day – no matter what happens next in LA.

Game 5 looms with the matchup reset and energy shifting to Toronto. Dodgers left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Blue Jays's surge. The Blue Jays counter with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Blue Jays chased Snell early in an 11-4 win.