Guerrero Blasts off Shohei Ohtani as Toronto See Off Dodgers to Level World Series at 2-2

Only 24 hours after enduring one of the most exhausting losses in Fall Classic history, the Blue Jays displayed complete control.

Guerrero smashed a two-run homer and Bieber provided a steady start as Toronto defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, tying the World Series at two games each and guaranteeing the series will head back to Toronto.

Toronto had spent the morning of the next day processing their marathon Game 3 loss – tied for the longest Fall Classic contest ever – a defeat that denied them the chance to take the lead in the series and depleted both bullpens. Manager Schneider stated afterwards that “the Dodgers took a game, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad provided convincing proof.

Initial Innings

The Los Angeles again struck first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second, moved up on a base hit and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the initial breakthrough did not shake a Toronto club that topped Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind wins this year.

They responded immediately in the third. Lukes hit a one away base hit to centre and Guerrero came to the plate hunting a curveball. Shohei Ohtani left a slider up and Guerrero sent it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his first long hit of the series and his 7th home run this playoffs – a fresh team mark – regaining the Toronto's lead after 13 scoreless frames and changing the tone of the game.

Shohei's Night

That swing also halted Shohei Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 straight plate appearances reaching base. The two-way star had smashed two home runs and got on base a historic nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 comeback win. But on that night, he started on limited rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the previous marathon.

Ohtani fastball velocity sat below his regular-season average and he labored more as the game wore on. Even so, he showed flashes of his usual command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and striking out six. He even walked in the first to continue his World Series record. But the Blue Jays made him work: six base hits and four runs were charged to him in over six innings.

Seventh Inning Surge

The bigger problem for Los Angeles was what came next when he finally lost steam.

Varsho started the seventh inning with a clean hit to right, and Ernie Clement smashed a double off the wall to put runners on with none out. Roberts had little choice but to pull Ohtani, who departed to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not finish the inning.

Anthony Banda inherited the mess and immediately fell behind. Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before scoring Varsho with a base hit to left field. Ty France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock Banda out of the game. Treinen entered next but also failed to stop the rally: Bichette and Addison Barger punched run-scoring 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 initial blows and answer has characterized their entire run. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the hurt leadoff hitter who exited the third game after straining his right side.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was everything the Blue Jays needed. Acquired mid-season while completing recovery from elbow surgery, the ex- award-winning winner left multiple runners and quieted the Dodgers' dangerous batting order. He allowed one earned run on four base hits and three walks before Schneider summoned rookie left-hander Mason Fluharty to face the core of the lineup in the sixth. Fluharty needed just 4 pitches to retire Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a narrow lead that soon became safe.

Former starter Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' offense continued to struggle. The Dodgers have scored only three runs over their previous 20 innings, an sudden downturn for a team that was among MLB's top lineups all year.

Closing Moments

The Dodgers managed a run in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman grounded out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's two-base hit put two on base. But Louis Varland finished the game without permitting a comeback to develop.

After a game when Toronto stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after repeated of wasted chances, the fourth contest was brutally effective. Six separate Toronto players collected base hits, five brought home runs and the team converted nearly every run-scoring chance presented in the late stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The victory guarantees the World Series title will be presented at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not won a championship since Joe Carter's famous walk-off home run in 1993. They now know they are guaranteed a packed house in Canada on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 looms with the matchup reset and momentum shifting to Toronto. Dodgers left-hander 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 Game 1, when the Toronto chased Snell quickly in an decisive win.