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

Only 24 hours after staggering through one of the most exhausting defeats in Fall Classic history, the Blue Jays displayed total command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber provided a composed start as Toronto beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, squaring the World Series at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had spent the morning of Tuesday dealing with their 18-inning Game 3 loss – tied for the lengthiest World Series game ever – a defeat that denied them the chance to take the lead in the series and burned through both bullpens. Skipper Schneider stated later that “the Dodgers took a game, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his team provided convincing evidence.

Initial Innings

The Dodgers again scored first. Muncy drew a walk in the second, moved up on a single and crossed the plate on Hernández's fly out. But the early score did not shake a Blue Jays club that led Major League Baseball with 49 comeback wins this year.

They responded immediately in the third. Lukes lined a one away base hit to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in looking for a breaking ball. Ohtani threw a sweeper up and he drove it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his first long hit of the series and his 7th homer this postseason – a fresh club record – restoring the Blue Jays's lead after 13 scoreless frames and changing the momentum of the night.

Shohei's Performance

That swing also ended Ohtani's history-making run of 11 consecutive at-bats getting on base. The dual-threat star had hit two homers and got on base a record nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 walk-off. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on limited rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the previous extra-inning game.

Ohtani fastball velocity sat below his seasonal norm and he struggled more as the contest progressed. Nonetheless, he showed glimpses of his typical command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to continue his World Series record. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six hits and four earned runs were charged to him in six-plus frames.

Late Game Surge

The larger problem for the Dodgers was what followed when he eventually lost energy.

Varsho started the seventh with a sharp hit to right field, and Clement drilled a two-base hit off the fence to put two on with no outs. Dave Roberts had no option but to remove the starter, who departed to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Dodgers' relief corps could not finish the escape.

Anthony Banda inherited the jam and immediately trailed in the count. Giménez battled to a full count before scoring the runner with a single to left. France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock Banda out of the contest. Treinen came in next but also failed to stop the momentum: Bichette and Addison Barger hit run-scoring base hits through the diamond, completing a four-score outburst that extended the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

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

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what Toronto required. Acquired during the summer while completing rehab from elbow surgery, the former award-winning winner stranded several runners and quieted the Dodgers' potent lineup. He allowed one earned run on four hits and three free passes before the manager summoned first-year pitcher Mason Fluharty to confront the core of the order in the sixth. He needed just 4 throws to retire Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a narrow lead that quickly grew comfortable.

Former starter Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' bats kept to struggle. The Dodgers have produced only 3 runs over their previous 20 frames, an sudden slowdown for a club that ranked among baseball's elite offenses all year.

Final Innings

The Dodgers managed a score in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman hit into an out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's two-base hit put runners on base. But Varland finished the game without permitting a comeback to develop.

After a game when Toronto left a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and fell apart after wave upon wave of wasted chances, the fourth contest was ruthlessly effective. Six separate Toronto players recorded hits, 5 drove in runs and the team cashed nearly every scoring chance available in the late innings.

Next Up

The win ensures the World Series title will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not won a championship since Carter's famous walk-off homer in '93. They now know they are assured a full house in Toronto on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 looms with the series even and momentum shifting north. Los Angeles pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Blue Jays's momentum. The Blue Jays respond with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Toronto knocked out the starter early in an decisive victory.