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

Only 24 hours after staggering through one of the most draining losses in World Series history, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed complete control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber provided a composed outing as Toronto beat the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, squaring the Fall Classic at two games each and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Canada.

The Blue Jays had spent the early hours of the next day processing their marathon Game 3 loss – equal to the lengthiest World Series contest ever – a loss that cost them the opportunity to lead the series and burned through both relief corps. Manager Schneider insisted afterwards that “they took a game, not the World Series”. A day later, his squad offered emphatic proof.

Initial Innings

The Dodgers again struck first. Max Muncy walked in the second inning, advanced on a base hit and scored on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the early breakthrough did not shake a Toronto club that led MLB with 49 come-from-behind victories this season.

They responded right away in the third. Lukes lined a one-out single to centre and Guerrero came to the plate looking for a breaking ball. Ohtani threw a sweeper up and Guerrero drove it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his first extra-base hit of the series and his 7th homer this playoffs – a fresh club record – restoring the Toronto's advantage after 13 shutout innings and shifting the momentum of the night.

Ohtani's Night

That hit also ended Shohei Ohtani's history-making run of 11 straight plate appearances getting on base. The two-way star had smashed two home runs and reached safely a record nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 comeback win. But on Tuesday, he started on short rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the previous marathon.

Ohtani fastball velocity sat below his seasonal norm and he labored more as the game wore on. Nonetheless, he displayed flashes of his usual control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and striking out six. He even walked in the first inning to extend his Fall Classic streak. But the Blue Jays made him work: six hits and four runs were charged to him in over six frames.

Late Game Rally

The larger issue for Los Angeles was what followed when Ohtani eventually ran out of steam.

Daulton Varsho started the seventh with a sharp single to right field, and Clement drilled a double off the fence to put runners on with none out. Dave Roberts had no option but to remove Ohtani, who departed to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Dodgers' bullpen could not complete the escape.

Banda inherited the jam and immediately trailed in the count. Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before scoring Varsho with a base hit to left. Ty France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove Banda out of the contest. Blake Treinen came in next but also was unable to stem the rally: Bichette and Barger hit RBI singles through the diamond, capping a four-run barrage that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Blue Jays's capacity to withstand early blows and respond has defined their whole run. They once again succeeded without Springer, the injured leadoff man who left the third game after tweaking his right side.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what Toronto needed. Acquired during the summer while completing recovery from elbow surgery, the ex- award-winning winner stranded several baserunners and silenced the Dodgers' dangerous lineup. He gave up one run on four hits and three free passes before Schneider summoned first-year pitcher Fluharty to face the core of the lineup in the sixth. Fluharty needed just four pitches to get out Muncy and Edman, preserving a narrow advantage that quickly grew comfortable.

Former starter Chris Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' offense continued to struggle. Los Angeles have scored only 3 runs over their last 20 innings, an sudden slowdown for a club that was among MLB's elite lineups all year.

Closing Moments

The Dodgers managed a run in the ninth when Edman grounded out to score Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's two-base hit put two aboard. But Louis Varland finished the game without permitting a rally to build.

After a night when the Blue Jays stranded a World Series-record 19 runners and fell apart after wave upon wave of missed opportunities, the fourth contest was ruthlessly efficient. 6 separate Toronto players collected hits, 5 drove in scores and the squad converted almost every scoring chance available in the final innings.

Next Up

The win guarantees the championship trophy will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not celebrated a championship since Carter's famous walk-off home run in '93. They now are aware they are guaranteed a packed crowd in Toronto on Friday evening – and perhaps the next day – no matter what occurs next in LA.

Game 5 approaches with the matchup even and energy swinging to Toronto. Los Angeles pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Blue Jays's momentum. Toronto counter with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Toronto knocked out the starter quickly in an 11-4 victory.