Guerrero Blasts against Ohtani as Toronto See Off Los Angeles to Tie Series at 2-2

Only 24 hours following staggering through one of the most exhausting losses in Fall Classic history, the Blue Jays displayed total control.

Guerrero smashed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber delivered a steady start as the Blue Jays defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, tying the Fall Classic at two games each and guaranteeing the matchup will return to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had spent the morning of Tuesday processing their marathon Game 3 loss – equal to the lengthiest Fall Classic contest ever – a defeat that denied them the chance to take the lead in the matchup and depleted both relief corps. Manager John Schneider insisted later that “they won a contest, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his team offered emphatic evidence.

Early Innings

The Los Angeles again scored first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second, moved up on a single and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the initial score did not shake a Blue Jays team that led MLB with 49 comeback victories this year.

They answered right away in the third inning. Lukes hit a one-out base hit to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate looking for a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani threw a slider up and Guerrero drove it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his first long hit of the World Series and his seventh homer this playoffs – a fresh team mark – restoring the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 shutout frames and shifting the tone of the game.

Ohtani's Performance

That swing also halted Shohei Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 straight plate appearances reaching base. The dual-threat star had hit two homers and reached safely a historic nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 walk-off. But on that night, he started on limited rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the previous marathon.

Ohtani 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, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first to extend his World Series record. But the Blue Jays made him work: six base hits and four earned runs were charged to him in six-plus frames.

Seventh Inning Rally

The larger issue for the Dodgers was what came next when Ohtani finally ran out of energy.

Daulton Varsho started the seventh with a clean hit to right, and Ernie Clement smashed a two-base hit off the wall to put runners on with none out. Roberts had no option but to pull the starter, who exited to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not finish the inning.

Banda inherited the jam and right away trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before scoring Varsho with a single to left. France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock the pitcher out of the game. Treinen entered next but also was unable to stem the momentum: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger hit run-scoring base hits through the diamond, capping a four-run outburst that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Toronto's ability to absorb early blows and respond has defined their whole postseason. They once again did it without George Springer, the injured leadoff hitter who left Game 3 after straining his right side.

Bieber, meanwhile, was everything Toronto needed. Acquired during the summer while finishing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the former award-winning winner stranded multiple runners and silenced the Los Angeles' dangerous batting order. He gave up one earned run on four hits and three walks before Schneider called on first-year left-hander Fluharty to face the core of the lineup in the sixth. He needed just four pitches to get out Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a narrow advantage that quickly became safe.

Converted starting pitcher Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' offense kept to struggle. The Dodgers have produced only 3 runs over their last 20 innings, an abrupt slowdown for a team that ranked among baseball's elite lineups all season.

Closing Moments

The Dodgers managed a score in the ninth when Tommy Edman grounded out to score Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's two-base hit put runners aboard. But Varland finished the game without allowing a comeback to build.

Following a night when Toronto stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and fell apart after wave upon wave of missed opportunities, Game 4 was brutally efficient. Six separate Toronto players recorded base hits, 5 drove in scores and the squad cashed almost every run-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 Toronto have not celebrated a title since Carter's famous game-winning homer in '93. They now know they are assured a packed crowd in Canada on Friday evening – and perhaps the next day – no matter what happens next in LA.

The fifth game looms with the series reset and energy swinging north. Dodgers left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Toronto's surge. Toronto respond with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Toronto knocked out Snell early in an decisive victory.