🔗 Share this article

Only 24 hours after enduring one of the most draining defeats in World Series history, the Blue Jays played with complete control.

Guerrero smashed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber delivered a composed start as Toronto defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, squaring the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the matchup will return to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had passed the morning of Tuesday dealing with their 18-inning third game defeat – equal to the longest Fall Classic game ever – a defeat that denied them the chance to take the lead in the series and depleted both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider stated later that “they took a contest, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his team provided emphatic proof.

Initial Innings

The Los Angeles again scored first. Muncy walked in the second, advanced on a base hit and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early breakthrough did not shake a Blue Jays club that topped Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind victories this year.

They answered immediately in the third inning. Nathan Lukes hit a one-out base hit to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate hunting a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani left a sweeper up and he drove it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his initial extra-base hit of the World Series and his seventh home run this postseason – a fresh team record – restoring the Toronto's advantage after 13 scoreless frames and changing the tone of the game.

Ohtani's Performance

That hit also ended Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 consecutive at-bats reaching base. The two-way phenomenon had hit two home runs and reached safely a record nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 comeback win. But on that night, he took the mound on short rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the prior marathon.

Ohtani pitch speed was under his seasonal average and he labored more as the contest progressed. Even so, he showed flashes of his usual command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first to extend his Fall Classic record. But the Blue Jays made him work: six hits and four earned runs were charged to him in six-plus frames.

Seventh Inning Surge

The bigger issue for Los Angeles was what followed when he finally ran out of steam.

Varsho started the seventh with a clean single to right field, and Ernie Clement drilled a double off the fence to put two on with no outs. Dave Roberts had no option but to remove the starter, who departed to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Dodgers' bullpen could not complete the escape.

Anthony Banda inherited the mess and immediately fell behind. Andrés Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before scoring the runner with a single to left field. Ty France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock Banda out of the contest. Treinen entered next but also failed to stop the momentum: Bichette and Barger hit RBI base hits through the infield, completing a four-run outburst that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Toronto's ability to withstand early blows and respond has defined their entire postseason. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the injured top-of-the-order man who exited the third game after straining his oblique.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what the Blue Jays needed. Acquired during the summer while finishing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the ex- award-winning winner left several baserunners and quieted the Dodgers' potent lineup. He gave up one earned run on four hits and three walks before Schneider called on rookie pitcher Fluharty to face the heart of the order in the sixth. He required just four throws to retire Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a narrow lead that soon became safe.

Converted starter Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' offense continued to sputter. Los Angeles have scored only three runs over their last 20 innings, an abrupt slowdown for a team that was among baseball's elite offenses all year.

Final Moments

The Los Angeles scraped a score in the ninth when Edman hit into an out to score Hernández after a walk and Muncy's two-base hit put two aboard. But Varland closed it down without permitting a rally to build.

After a night when the Blue Jays left a World Series-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after repeated of wasted chances, Game 4 was ruthlessly efficient. Six different Blue Jays collected base hits, five brought home runs and the squad converted almost every scoring opportunity presented in the late stanzas.

Next Up

The victory guarantees the championship title will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not won a championship since Joe Carter's iconic walk-off home run in '93. They now know they are assured a full house in Canada on Friday night – and perhaps the next day – no matter what happens next in LA.

The fifth game approaches with the matchup reset and momentum swinging to Toronto. Los Angeles pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Blue Jays's momentum. The Blue Jays respond with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Toronto knocked out Snell quickly in an decisive victory.