Guerrero Homers off Shohei Ohtani as Blue Jays See Off Los Angeles to Level Series at 2-2

Only 24 hours following staggering through one of the most draining losses in World Series annals, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed complete command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber provided a composed outing as Toronto beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, tying the World Series at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the series will head back to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had spent the morning of Tuesday dealing with their 18-inning Game 3 loss – equal to the lengthiest Fall Classic contest ever – a defeat that denied them the chance to lead the series and depleted both relief corps. Manager John Schneider stated afterwards that “the Dodgers won a contest, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad offered emphatic evidence.

Early Action

The Los Angeles again struck first. Muncy walked in the second, advanced on a base hit and scored on Hernández's fly out. But the early breakthrough did not shake a Toronto club that led MLB with 49 come-from-behind wins this year.

They responded right away in the third inning. Lukes lined a one-out base hit to centre and Guerrero stepped in looking for a breaking ball. Ohtani threw a sweeper up and he drove it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his initial long hit of the World Series and his seventh homer this postseason – a fresh club record – restoring the Toronto's advantage after 13 shutout innings and changing the momentum of the game.

Shohei's Night

That swing also halted Shohei Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 consecutive at-bats reaching base. The two-way star had smashed two home runs and got on base a record nine times in the Dodgers' third game walk-off. But on that night, he started on short rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the previous extra-inning game.

Ohtani pitch speed sat under his regular-season norm and he labored more as the game progressed. Nonetheless, he displayed glimpses of his usual command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first to continue his World Series streak. But the Blue Jays made him work: six base hits and four earned runs were charged to him in six-plus frames.

Seventh Inning Surge

The bigger issue for Los Angeles was what came next when Ohtani eventually lost steam.

Varsho opened the seventh inning with a sharp hit to right field, and Clement drilled a double off the fence to put runners on with no outs. Dave Roberts had little choice but to pull the starter, who departed to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Dodgers' bullpen could not complete the escape.

Anthony Banda came into the jam and right away trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before driving in Varsho with a base hit to left. France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock the pitcher out of the contest. Treinen came in next but also failed to stem the momentum: Bichette and Addison Barger hit RBI singles through the infield, capping a four-run outburst that extended the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Toronto's capacity to withstand initial blows and answer has defined their whole postseason. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order man who left the third game after tweaking his oblique.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what Toronto needed. Acquired during the summer while finishing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner stranded multiple baserunners and silenced the Los Angeles' potent lineup. He gave up one earned run on four base hits and three free passes before the manager summoned first-year left-hander Fluharty to confront the core of the order in the sixth inning. He needed just 4 pitches to get out Muncy and Edman, preserving a narrow advantage that quickly grew comfortable.

Converted starter Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' bats kept to struggle. The Dodgers have scored only three runs over their previous 20 frames, an abrupt downturn for a club that ranked among MLB's top lineups all year.

Closing Moments

The Los Angeles managed a score in the ninth when Edman grounded out to bring home Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's double put runners aboard. But Louis Varland closed it down without permitting a comeback to build.

Following a game when the Blue Jays stranded a World Series-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after repeated of wasted chances, the fourth contest was brutally effective. 6 separate Blue Jays recorded hits, five drove in scores and the team converted almost every scoring opportunity available in the late innings.

Looking Ahead

The victory guarantees the championship trophy will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not won a title since Joe Carter's famous game-winning home run in 1993. They now know they are assured a packed house in Toronto on Friday night – and perhaps the next day – no matter what occurs next in LA.

Game 5 looms with the series reset and momentum swinging to Toronto. Los Angeles left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Toronto's momentum. Toronto counter with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Blue Jays knocked out Snell early in an decisive win.