Vladimir Guerrero Jr Homers off Shohei Ohtani as Blue Jays See Off Dodgers to Tie Series at 2-2

Less than a day after staggering through one of the most exhausting losses in World Series history, the Blue Jays played with complete control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run homer and Bieber delivered a steady outing as Toronto beat the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, squaring the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Canada.

Toronto had spent the early hours of Tuesday dealing with their 18-inning third game defeat – equal to the lengthiest Fall Classic contest ever – a defeat that cost them the opportunity to lead the series and depleted both relief corps. Manager John Schneider insisted later that “the Dodgers took a game, not the World Series”. A day later, his squad provided convincing evidence.

Early Action

The Dodgers again scored first. Muncy drew a walk in the second, advanced on a base hit and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early breakthrough did not shake a Blue Jays team that led Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind victories this year.

They responded immediately in the third. Nathan Lukes hit a one-out base hit to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in looking for a curveball. Shohei Ohtani threw a sweeper up and he sent it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his first extra-base hit of the World Series and his seventh homer this postseason – a fresh club record – regaining the Blue Jays's lead after 13 scoreless frames and shifting the tone of the night.

Ohtani's Night

That hit also halted Shohei Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 straight at-bats getting on base. The two-way phenomenon had smashed two homers and got on base a record nine times in the Los Angeles' third game comeback win. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on limited rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the prior marathon.

Ohtani fastball velocity was under his regular-season average and he struggled more as the contest wore on. Even so, he displayed glimpses of his typical control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first to extend his World Series streak. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six base hits and four runs were credited to him in six-plus frames.

Seventh Inning Rally

The bigger problem for Los Angeles was what followed when he finally ran out of energy.

Varsho started the seventh with a sharp single to right field, and Ernie Clement drilled a two-base hit off the wall to put runners on with no outs. Roberts had little choice but to remove the starter, who departed to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not finish the escape.

Anthony Banda inherited the mess and immediately trailed in the count. Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before scoring the runner with a base hit to left field. France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock the pitcher out of the game. Treinen came in next but also failed to stop the momentum: Bichette and Barger hit RBI base hits through the infield, completing a four-run barrage that extended the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Toronto's capacity to withstand initial setbacks and answer has defined their entire run. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the hurt leadoff hitter who left the third game after straining his oblique.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was everything Toronto required. Acquired during the summer while completing recovery from elbow surgery, the ex- award-winning winner left several runners and silenced the Dodgers' dangerous batting order. He gave up one earned run on four base hits and three walks before the manager called on rookie left-hander Mason Fluharty to face the core of the order in the sixth inning. Fluharty required just 4 pitches to get out Muncy and Edman, protecting a narrow advantage that soon became safe.

Former starter Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' bats kept to sputter. Los Angeles have produced only three scores over their last 20 frames, an sudden downturn for a club that ranked among MLB's elite offenses all season.

Final Moments

The Dodgers managed a run in the ninth when Tommy Edman hit into an out to bring home Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's double put runners aboard. But Varland closed it down without allowing a comeback to develop.

After a night when the Blue Jays left a World Series-record 19 runners and collapsed after wave upon wave of missed opportunities, the fourth contest was ruthlessly effective. 6 separate Blue Jays collected base hits, five brought home runs and the squad converted nearly every run-scoring chance available in the late innings.

Looking Ahead

The win ensures the championship title will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a championship since Carter's famous game-winning homer in '93. They now know they are assured a full house in Canada on Friday night – and possibly the next day – no matter what happens next in LA.

Game 5 approaches with the matchup reset and momentum swinging north. Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Toronto's momentum. The Blue Jays respond with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Toronto chased the starter quickly in an 11-4 win.