🔗 Share this article

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

Guerrero smashed a two-run home run and Bieber provided a composed start as the Blue Jays defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, squaring the World Series at two games each and guaranteeing the series will return to Toronto.

Toronto had spent the morning of Tuesday dealing with their 18-inning third game defeat – tied for the longest Fall Classic contest ever – a defeat that denied them the chance to lead the series and depleted both bullpens. Manager Schneider stated afterwards that “they took a contest, not the championship”. A day later, his squad provided convincing proof.

Early Action

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

They responded right away in the third. Nathan Lukes hit a one-out base hit to centre and Guerrero came to the plate hunting a curveball. Ohtani threw a slider up and Guerrero sent it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his first extra-base hit of the World Series and his 7th homer this postseason – a fresh team record – restoring the Toronto's advantage after 13 shutout innings and shifting the momentum of the night.

Ohtani's Performance

That swing also halted Shohei Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 consecutive plate appearances reaching base. The two-way star had smashed two homers and got on base a record nine times in the Dodgers' third game comeback win. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on limited rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the previous marathon.

Ohtani pitch speed sat below his seasonal average and he labored more as the game wore on. Nonetheless, he displayed flashes of his usual 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 Fall Classic streak. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six hits and four earned runs were credited to him in six-plus innings.

Seventh Inning Rally

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

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh inning with a clean hit to right, and Clement drilled a double off the fence to put runners on with no outs. Dave Roberts had no option but to pull Ohtani, who exited to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not complete the inning.

Anthony Banda inherited the mess and immediately trailed in the count. Giménez fought to a full count before driving in Varsho with a single to left. France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock the pitcher out of the game. Blake Treinen entered next but also failed to stop the momentum: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger hit run-scoring base hits through the diamond, capping a four-score barrage that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Blue Jays's ability to withstand early blows and answer has characterized their entire run. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order man who exited the third game after tweaking his right side.

Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what Toronto required. Traded for during the summer while finishing recovery from elbow surgery, the ex- award-winning winner left multiple baserunners and silenced the Dodgers' potent lineup. He gave up one run on four base hits and three free passes before the manager called on first-year left-hander Mason Fluharty to confront the core of the order in the sixth inning. He needed just four pitches to retire Muncy and Edman, protecting a narrow lead that quickly became safe.

Converted starter Chris Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' bats continued to sputter. The Dodgers have produced only three runs over their previous 20 frames, an sudden slowdown for a team that ranked among MLB's elite lineups all season.

Final Moments

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

Following a game when the Blue Jays stranded a World Series-record 19 runners and collapsed after wave upon wave of missed chances, the fourth contest was brutally efficient. 6 separate Blue Jays recorded hits, 5 drove in runs and the squad cashed almost every run-scoring chance presented in the final innings.

Looking Ahead

The win ensures the championship trophy will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a championship since Carter's iconic game-winning home run in '93. They now are aware they are guaranteed a full crowd in Toronto on Friday night – and possibly the next day – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 looms with the matchup even and momentum swinging north. Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Blue Jays's momentum. The Blue Jays respond with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Toronto knocked out the starter early in an 11-4 win.