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

Less than a day after staggering through one of the most exhausting losses in World Series history, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed complete control.

Guerrero crushed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber provided a steady start as the Blue Jays defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, squaring the Fall Classic at two games each and guaranteeing the series will return to Canada.

Toronto had spent the early hours of the next day processing their 18-inning Game 3 loss – tied for the longest World Series contest ever – a loss that denied them the chance to lead the series and depleted both bullpens. Skipper Schneider insisted afterwards that “they won a game, not the championship”. A day later, his team offered convincing evidence.

Early Action

The Dodgers again scored first. Max Muncy walked in the second inning, advanced on a single and scored on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial breakthrough did not shake a Toronto club that topped Major League Baseball with 49 comeback wins this season.

They answered right away in the third inning. Lukes lined a one away base hit to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate looking for a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani threw a slider up and he sent it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his first extra-base hit of the World Series and his seventh home run this playoffs – a fresh club record – restoring the Blue Jays's lead after 13 shutout frames and changing the momentum of the game.

Ohtani's Performance

That swing also ended Ohtani's history-making run of 11 consecutive at-bats reaching base. The dual-threat phenomenon had hit two home runs and got on base a record nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 walk-off. But on that night, he started on short rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the prior marathon.

His pitch speed was under his regular-season average and he labored more as the contest progressed. Even so, he showed glimpses of his usual control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and fanning six. He even walked in the first inning to extend his Fall Classic streak. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six base hits and four earned runs were charged to him in six-plus innings.

Seventh Inning Rally

The bigger issue for Los Angeles was what followed when Ohtani eventually ran out of steam.

Varsho opened the seventh inning with a sharp single to right, and Clement drilled a two-base hit off the wall to put two on with none out. Dave Roberts had no option but to pull Ohtani, who departed to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Dodgers' bullpen could not complete the escape.

Banda inherited the mess and immediately trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before driving in the runner with a single to left field. France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock the pitcher out of the contest. Treinen entered next but also was unable to stop the momentum: Bichette and Barger hit run-scoring singles through the diamond, capping a four-score outburst that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Blue Jays's capacity to withstand early blows and answer has characterized their whole run. They once again did it without George Springer, the injured leadoff hitter who left the third game after straining his right side.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was everything Toronto required. Traded for mid-season while finishing recovery from elbow surgery, the former award-winning winner stranded multiple runners and silenced the Los Angeles' dangerous lineup. He gave up one earned run on four base hits and three free passes before the manager summoned first-year pitcher Fluharty to face the core of the order in the sixth inning. He required just four pitches to retire Muncy and Edman, protecting a narrow lead that soon became comfortable.

Converted starter Chris Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' bats continued to sputter. The Dodgers have produced only three runs over their previous 20 frames, an abrupt downturn for a team that was among baseball's top offenses all year.

Final Innings

The Dodgers scraped a run in the ninth inning when Edman hit into an out to score Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's double put runners on base. But Varland finished the game without allowing a rally to develop.

After a night when the Blue Jays stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after wave upon wave of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was brutally effective. 6 different Toronto players recorded hits, 5 drove in runs and the team cashed nearly every scoring opportunity available in the final innings.

Looking Ahead

The win guarantees the championship trophy will be presented at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not won a championship since Carter's famous game-winning home run in 1993. They now are aware they are assured a packed crowd in Toronto on Friday evening – and perhaps the next day – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game approaches with the series even and energy swinging to Toronto. Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Blue Jays's surge. The Blue Jays respond with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Blue Jays chased Snell quickly in an decisive victory.