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

Only 24 hours following enduring one of the most draining losses in Fall Classic history, the Blue Jays played with total command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run homer and Bieber provided a steady outing as Toronto defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, squaring the Fall Classic at two games each and ensuring the matchup will return to Canada.

The Blue Jays had passed the morning of Tuesday processing their marathon Game 3 loss – equal to the longest Fall Classic contest ever – a loss that denied them the chance to lead the matchup and depleted both bullpens. Manager Schneider insisted afterwards that “they took a game, not the World Series”. A day later, his team offered convincing proof.

Early Action

The Los Angeles again scored first. Muncy walked in the second inning, advanced on a single and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early breakthrough did not rattle a Blue Jays team that topped Major League Baseball with 49 comeback wins this year.

They responded immediately in the third inning. Lukes lined a one away single to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate hunting a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani left a sweeper up and he sent it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his initial extra-base hit of the World Series and his seventh homer this playoffs – a fresh team mark – restoring the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 scoreless frames and shifting the tone of the game.

Shohei's Night

That swing also halted Shohei Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 consecutive plate appearances reaching base. The two-way star had hit two home runs and reached safely a historic nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 comeback win. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on limited rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the previous extra-inning game.

Ohtani fastball velocity was below his seasonal average and he struggled more as the game wore on. Nonetheless, he showed glimpses of his usual control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first to continue his Fall Classic streak. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six hits and four runs were credited to him in six-plus innings.

Seventh Inning Rally

The bigger problem for the Dodgers was what followed when Ohtani finally lost steam.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh with a clean hit to right field, and Ernie Clement drilled a two-base hit off the wall to put two on with no outs. Roberts had little choice but to remove the starter, who departed to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not complete the escape.

Banda inherited the mess and immediately fell behind. Andrés Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before driving in the runner with a base hit to left field. Ty France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove the pitcher out of the game. Treinen entered next but also failed to stop the momentum: Bichette and Addison Barger punched run-scoring base hits through the diamond, completing a four-score outburst that extended the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Blue Jays's ability to absorb initial blows and respond has defined their whole postseason. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the injured top-of-the-order hitter who exited Game 3 after tweaking his oblique.

Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what Toronto required. Acquired during the summer while completing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the ex- award-winning winner stranded several runners and silenced the Dodgers' potent lineup. He allowed one earned run on four base hits and three free passes before the manager summoned first-year left-hander Fluharty to face the core of the order in the sixth. Fluharty required just four throws to retire Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a narrow advantage that quickly grew safe.

Converted starter Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' bats kept to struggle. Los Angeles have produced only three runs over their last 20 innings, an abrupt slowdown for a club that ranked among MLB's elite lineups all season.

Final Innings

The Los Angeles scraped a run in the ninth when Tommy Edman grounded out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Muncy's double put two on base. But Varland finished the game without permitting a rally to develop.

Following a night when Toronto stranded a World Series-record 19 runners and fell apart after wave upon wave of missed chances, the fourth contest was ruthlessly effective. Six different Toronto players recorded base hits, five drove in runs and the squad cashed nearly every scoring chance presented in the final innings.

Looking Ahead

The victory guarantees the championship trophy will be presented at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not won a title since Joe Carter's famous game-winning home run in '93. They now know they are guaranteed a full house in Canada on Friday night – and possibly the next day – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game approaches with the series reset and momentum shifting north. Dodgers left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Toronto's surge. The Blue Jays respond with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Toronto knocked out the starter quickly in an decisive win.