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 defeats in Fall Classic annals, the Blue Jays played with total command.

Guerrero crushed a two-run homer and Bieber provided a steady start as the Blue Jays beat the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, squaring the World Series at two games each and guaranteeing the matchup will return to Canada.

Toronto had spent the early hours of the next day dealing with their 18-inning third game defeat – equal to the longest World Series game ever – a defeat that denied them the chance to take the lead in the series and depleted both relief corps. Manager Schneider stated afterwards that “the Dodgers won a contest, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad provided convincing proof.

Early Action

The Los Angeles again scored first. Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, moved up on a base hit and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early breakthrough did not rattle a Toronto club that topped Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind victories this year.

They answered right away in the third inning. Nathan Lukes lined a one away single to centre and Guerrero stepped in hunting a curveball. Shohei Ohtani threw a sweeper up and Guerrero drove it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his initial long hit of the World Series and his seventh homer this postseason – a fresh team record – restoring the Toronto's lead after 13 scoreless innings and shifting the tone of the night.

Shohei's Night

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

His pitch speed was below his regular-season norm and he labored more as the game progressed. Even so, he displayed glimpses of his usual command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to continue his Fall Classic record. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six base hits and four earned runs were credited to him in six-plus frames.

Late Game Rally

The larger problem for the Dodgers was what followed when Ohtani finally ran out of energy.

Varsho started the seventh inning with a sharp hit to right field, and Clement smashed a double off the wall to put two on with none out. Roberts had no option but to remove Ohtani, who exited to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not finish the escape.

Anthony Banda came into the mess and immediately trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez battled to a full count before scoring Varsho with a base hit to left. Ty France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove the pitcher out of the game. Treinen entered next but also was unable to stem the rally: Bichette and Addison Barger hit RBI singles through the infield, capping a four-run barrage that extended the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Blue Jays's ability to withstand early blows and respond has defined their whole run. They once again succeeded without Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order man who left Game 3 after straining his right side.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what Toronto needed. Traded for mid-season while completing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the former Cy Young winner stranded multiple runners and silenced the Los Angeles' dangerous batting order. He allowed one earned run on four base hits and three walks before the manager called on first-year pitcher Mason Fluharty to confront the heart of the lineup in the sixth. He required just four throws to get out Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a fragile advantage that soon became safe.

Former starter Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' bats continued to sputter. The Dodgers have produced only three scores over their last 20 innings, an sudden slowdown for a team that was among baseball's elite offenses all year.

Closing Moments

The Los Angeles managed a score in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman grounded out to score Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's double put runners on base. But Varland closed it down without allowing a comeback to develop.

Following a night when the Blue Jays left a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after repeated of missed chances, the fourth contest was brutally effective. 6 different Toronto players collected base hits, five drove in scores and the squad cashed almost every run-scoring opportunity presented in the final stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The win ensures the championship title will be presented at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not won a title since Carter's iconic walk-off home run in '93. They now know they are assured a packed house in Canada on Friday night – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what occurs next in LA.

The fifth game approaches with the series even and energy shifting north. Los Angeles left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Blue Jays's momentum. Toronto counter with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Blue Jays knocked out the starter quickly in an decisive win.