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

Only 24 hours following staggering through one of the most draining defeats in Fall Classic annals, the Blue Jays displayed total control.

Guerrero crushed a two-run home run and Bieber provided a steady outing as the Blue Jays beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, tying the World Series at two games each and ensuring the matchup will return to Canada.

The Blue Jays had spent the morning of Tuesday processing their 18-inning Game 3 loss – tied for the longest World Series contest ever – a defeat that denied them the chance to take the lead in the series and depleted both bullpens. Manager Schneider stated later that “they won a game, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his team offered emphatic evidence.

Early Innings

The Los Angeles again struck first. Max Muncy walked in the second inning, moved up on a base hit and scored on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial score did not rattle a Toronto team that led MLB with 49 come-from-behind wins this year.

They answered immediately in the third. Lukes lined a one-out single to center field and Guerrero stepped in hunting a curveball. Shohei Ohtani left a slider up and he sent it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his initial long hit of the series and his 7th home run this postseason – a new team record – restoring the Toronto's lead after 13 scoreless innings and changing the momentum of the game.

Ohtani's Night

That hit also halted Ohtani's history-making run of 11 straight plate appearances reaching base. The dual-threat star had hit two homers and reached safely a record nine times in the Dodgers' third game comeback win. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on short rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the previous extra-inning game.

His pitch speed was under his seasonal average and he struggled more as the contest wore on. Nonetheless, he displayed glimpses of his usual control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to extend his Fall Classic streak. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six base hits and four earned runs were credited to him in over six innings.

Seventh Inning Rally

The bigger problem for Los Angeles was what followed when he eventually lost energy.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh with a sharp hit 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 pull the starter, who departed to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not complete the inning.

Anthony Banda came into the mess and right away trailed in the count. Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before driving in Varsho with a single to left. Ty France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove the pitcher out of the contest. Treinen came in next but also failed to stem the momentum: Bo Bichette and Barger hit run-scoring singles through the diamond, capping a four-score barrage that extended the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Blue Jays's ability to absorb initial blows and answer has characterized their whole run. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order man who left the third game after straining his right side.

Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what the Blue Jays required. Traded for during the summer while completing rehab from elbow surgery, the former award-winning winner stranded several baserunners and silenced the Dodgers' potent batting order. He gave up one earned run on four base hits and three walks before Schneider summoned first-year left-hander Fluharty to confront the core of the lineup in the sixth inning. He needed just four throws to get out Max Muncy and Edman, protecting a narrow advantage that soon grew safe.

Converted starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' bats continued to sputter. The Dodgers have scored only three runs over their previous 20 frames, an abrupt slowdown for a club that was among baseball's elite lineups all season.

Final Moments

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

After a game when Toronto stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and fell apart after wave upon wave of missed chances, the fourth contest was brutally efficient. 6 different Toronto players recorded hits, 5 brought home scores and the squad cashed almost every scoring chance presented in the late stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The win guarantees the championship title will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a championship since Joe Carter's iconic walk-off homer in 1993. They now are aware they are guaranteed a packed crowd in Canada on Friday evening – and possibly the next day – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 approaches with the matchup reset and energy swinging north. Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Toronto's momentum. Toronto counter with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Toronto chased Snell quickly in an decisive victory.