🔗 Share this article

Less than a day following staggering through one of the most draining losses in Fall Classic annals, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed complete control.

Guerrero crushed a two-run homer and Bieber delivered a steady outing as the Blue Jays beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, tying the World Series at two wins apiece and ensuring the matchup will return to Canada.

Toronto had spent the early hours of the next day dealing with their marathon third game defeat – equal to the lengthiest World Series contest ever – a defeat that denied them the chance to take the lead in the matchup and depleted both relief corps. Skipper Schneider insisted later that “they took a contest, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his team offered emphatic proof.

Initial Action

The Dodgers again struck first. Muncy drew a walk in the second, advanced on a single and scored on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the early score did not rattle a Toronto club that topped Major League Baseball with 49 comeback wins this season.

They answered immediately in the third. Nathan Lukes lined a one away single to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate hunting a breaking ball. Ohtani left a sweeper up and Guerrero drove it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his first long hit of the World Series and his 7th home run this postseason – a new team record – regaining the Toronto's lead after 13 shutout innings and shifting the tone of the game.

Shohei's Performance

That swing also halted Shohei Ohtani's history-making run of 11 straight at-bats getting on base. The dual-threat phenomenon had smashed two home runs and reached safely a historic nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 comeback win. But on that night, he started on short rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the prior extra-inning game.

Ohtani pitch speed sat below his regular-season average and he struggled more as the game wore on. Nonetheless, he displayed flashes of his usual control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first to continue his Fall Classic record. But the Blue Jays made him work: six hits and four earned runs were credited to him in over six frames.

Seventh Inning Rally

The bigger issue for Los Angeles was what followed when Ohtani finally lost energy.

Varsho opened the seventh inning with a sharp single to right field, and Ernie Clement smashed a double off the wall to put two on with no outs. Roberts had little choice but to pull Ohtani, who departed to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Dodgers' bullpen could not complete the escape.

Anthony Banda came into the mess and right away fell behind. Andrés Giménez fought to a full count before scoring the runner with a base hit to left. Ty France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove Banda out of the game. Treinen came in next but also failed to stem the rally: Bichette and Addison Barger punched RBI base hits through the infield, completing a four-run outburst that extended the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Toronto's ability to withstand early blows and respond has defined their entire postseason. They once again did it without George Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order man who left the third game after tweaking his right side.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was everything Toronto needed. Acquired mid-season while finishing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the former award-winning winner left several baserunners and silenced the Los Angeles' dangerous batting order. He allowed one run on four hits and three walks before the manager summoned rookie left-hander Fluharty to face the heart of the lineup in the sixth. Fluharty needed just four pitches to retire Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a fragile lead that quickly grew safe.

Former starter Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' bats continued to sputter. Los Angeles have scored only three scores over their previous 20 innings, an sudden slowdown for a club that was among MLB's elite lineups all season.

Final Moments

The Los Angeles scraped a run in the ninth inning when Edman grounded out to score Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's double put runners on base. But Louis Varland finished the game without allowing a rally to build.

Following a night when the Blue Jays left a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and fell apart after repeated of missed chances, the fourth contest was ruthlessly efficient. Six separate Toronto players collected base hits, five brought home scores and the squad cashed almost every scoring chance available in the late innings.

Looking Ahead

The victory guarantees the World Series title will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a title since Joe Carter's famous game-winning home run in 1993. They now are aware they are assured a full house in Toronto on Friday night – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what occurs next in LA.

The fifth game approaches with the series reset and energy swinging to Toronto. Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Blue Jays's momentum. The Blue Jays respond with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Toronto knocked out the starter quickly in an 11-4 win.