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

Only 24 hours following enduring one of the most draining defeats in Fall Classic history, the Blue Jays displayed complete command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber delivered a composed start as the Blue Jays defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, tying the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and ensuring the series will head back to Canada.

The Blue Jays had passed the morning of Tuesday dealing with their 18-inning Game 3 loss – tied for the longest World Series contest ever – a defeat that denied them the chance to take the lead in the matchup and burned through both relief corps. Manager John Schneider stated afterwards that “the Dodgers took a game, not the championship”. A day later, his team provided emphatic proof.

Early Action

The Dodgers again scored first. Muncy walked in the second, moved up on a single and scored on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early breakthrough did not rattle a Toronto team that led Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind victories this year.

They responded right away in the third inning. Lukes hit a one away single to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in looking for a breaking ball. Ohtani left a slider up and he drove it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his initial long hit of the series and his seventh home run this postseason – a new club record – restoring the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 scoreless frames and changing the tone of the night.

Ohtani's Performance

That swing also ended Ohtani's history-making run of 11 consecutive at-bats getting on base. The two-way phenomenon had hit two home runs and got on base a record nine times in the Los Angeles' third game walk-off. But on Tuesday, he started on short rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the prior marathon.

Ohtani fastball velocity sat below his regular-season average and he struggled more as the game progressed. Nonetheless, he showed flashes of his usual command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to extend his Fall Classic record. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six hits and four earned runs were credited to him in six-plus frames.

Seventh Inning Rally

The larger problem for Los Angeles was what followed when he eventually ran out of steam.

Varsho opened the seventh inning with a clean hit to right, and Clement smashed a two-base hit off the fence to put two on with no outs. Dave Roberts had little choice but to pull Ohtani, who departed to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Dodgers' relief corps could not complete the escape.

Anthony Banda came into the jam and right away fell behind. Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before driving in Varsho with a base hit to left field. Ty 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 game. Treinen came in next but also failed to stem the momentum: Bo Bichette and Barger punched RBI base hits through the infield, completing a four-score outburst that extended the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Toronto's capacity to absorb initial blows and respond has defined their entire run. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the hurt leadoff man who left the third game after tweaking his right side.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was everything Toronto needed. Acquired mid-season while completing rehab from elbow surgery, the former award-winning winner stranded several baserunners and silenced the Los Angeles' potent batting order. He gave up one run on four base hits and three free passes before the manager summoned first-year left-hander Fluharty to confront the core of the lineup in the sixth. He required just four throws to retire Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a narrow advantage that quickly grew safe.

Converted starting pitcher Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' offense kept to struggle. The Dodgers have produced only 3 scores over their last 20 innings, an sudden slowdown for a club that was among MLB's elite lineups all year.

Closing Innings

The Los Angeles scraped a score in the ninth when Tommy Edman grounded out to score Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's two-base hit put two aboard. But Louis Varland finished the game without permitting a rally to build.

Following a game when the Blue Jays left a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after wave upon wave of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was brutally efficient. 6 separate Blue Jays collected base hits, 5 brought home runs and the squad cashed almost every scoring opportunity available in the late innings.

Next Up

The win ensures the World Series trophy will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not won a title since Carter's iconic game-winning home run in '93. They now know they are assured a packed house in Toronto on Friday evening – and perhaps the next day – no matter what occurs next in LA.

The fifth game looms with the matchup reset and energy swinging to Toronto. Los Angeles left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Blue Jays's momentum. Toronto respond with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Blue Jays chased Snell quickly in an 11-4 win.