Guerrero Blasts against Ohtani as Blue Jays Defeat Los Angeles to Tie World Series at 2-2

Only 24 hours after enduring one of the most draining losses in World Series history, the Blue Jays played with complete command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber delivered a composed outing as Toronto beat the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, squaring the World Series at two games each and ensuring the matchup will return to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had spent the morning of the next day dealing with their 18-inning third game defeat – tied for the lengthiest Fall Classic game ever – a loss that denied them the opportunity to lead the matchup and burned through both relief corps. Skipper Schneider insisted later that “they took a game, not the World Series”. A day later, his team offered convincing evidence.

Early Innings

The Dodgers again struck first. Max Muncy walked in the second, moved up on a single and crossed the plate on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial score did not rattle a Blue Jays club that led Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind victories this year.

They answered immediately in the third inning. Lukes hit a one away base hit to center field and Guerrero came to the plate looking for a curveball. Shohei Ohtani left a sweeper up and Guerrero sent it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his initial extra-base hit of the World Series and his seventh homer this playoffs – a new club record – regaining the Blue Jays's lead after 13 shutout frames and shifting the tone of the game.

Shohei's Performance

That hit also ended Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 straight at-bats reaching base. The two-way star had hit two home runs and reached safely a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 walk-off. But on Tuesday, he started on limited rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the previous extra-inning game.

His pitch speed sat below his regular-season norm and he labored more as the game progressed. Even so, he showed glimpses of his typical command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to continue his Fall Classic record. But the Toronto made him work: six base hits and four earned runs were credited to him in six-plus innings.

Seventh Inning Rally

The bigger issue for Los Angeles was what came next when he eventually ran out of steam.

Varsho opened the seventh with a sharp hit to right, and Ernie Clement smashed a double off the wall to put runners on with none out. Roberts had little choice but to pull Ohtani, who exited to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not complete the inning.

Banda came into the jam and immediately trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez fought to a full count before scoring Varsho with a single to left field. Ty France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock the pitcher out of the game. Treinen came in next but also was unable to stem the rally: Bichette and Addison Barger hit RBI base hits through the infield, completing a four-score barrage that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Blue Jays's ability to withstand initial blows and answer has characterized their entire postseason. They once again did it without George Springer, the injured top-of-the-order hitter who left the third game after straining his oblique.

Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what the Blue Jays required. Acquired mid-season while completing recovery from elbow surgery, the former Cy Young winner stranded multiple baserunners and quieted the Los Angeles' dangerous lineup. He gave up one run on four base hits and three walks before the manager called on first-year pitcher Mason Fluharty to face the heart of the order in the sixth inning. Fluharty needed just four throws to retire Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a narrow advantage that soon became comfortable.

Former starter Chris Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' bats kept to struggle. Los Angeles have scored only 3 runs over their last 20 innings, an abrupt downturn for a team that ranked among MLB's top lineups all year.

Final Moments

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

After a game when Toronto stranded a World Series-record 19 runners and fell apart after repeated of missed opportunities, the fourth contest was ruthlessly effective. Six different Blue Jays recorded base hits, five drove in runs and the squad converted nearly every run-scoring opportunity presented in the final innings.

Looking Ahead

The win ensures the championship trophy will be presented at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not celebrated a title since Joe Carter's famous walk-off homer in 1993. They now know they are guaranteed a packed crowd in Canada on Friday night – and possibly Saturday – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game approaches with the matchup even and energy shifting north. Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Blue Jays's momentum. The Blue Jays respond with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Blue Jays knocked out Snell early in an decisive win.