🔗 Share this article

Only 24 hours after staggering through one of the most draining losses in World Series history, the Toronto Blue Jays played with total control.

Guerrero crushed a two-run home run and Bieber delivered a steady outing as the Blue Jays beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, squaring the World Series at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Canada.

Toronto had spent the early hours of Tuesday dealing with their marathon third game defeat – tied for the longest Fall Classic contest ever – a loss that cost them the opportunity to take the lead in the series and burned through both bullpens. Manager Schneider insisted afterwards that “they took a game, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his team provided convincing proof.

Initial Innings

The Dodgers again struck first. Max Muncy walked in the second, advanced on a single and scored on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the initial score did not shake a Toronto club that topped MLB with 49 comeback victories this year.

They responded immediately in the third inning. Lukes hit a one away single to centre and Guerrero stepped in hunting a curveball. Ohtani left a slider up and he sent it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his initial extra-base hit of the series and his seventh homer this postseason – a fresh club record – regaining the Toronto's advantage after 13 scoreless innings and shifting the momentum of the game.

Shohei's Performance

That hit also halted Ohtani's history-making run of 11 consecutive at-bats reaching base. The dual-threat phenomenon had hit two home runs and reached safely a record nine times in the Los Angeles' third game walk-off. But on Tuesday, he started on limited rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the previous marathon.

His pitch speed sat below his seasonal average and he labored more as the game progressed. Nonetheless, he showed glimpses of his typical control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and striking out six. He even walked in the first inning to extend his World Series streak. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six base hits and four runs were credited to him in six-plus frames.

Late Game Surge

The bigger problem for Los Angeles was what came next when Ohtani finally lost energy.

Varsho started the seventh inning with a clean hit to right, and Clement smashed a two-base hit off the fence to put runners on with none out. Roberts had little choice but to remove the starter, who departed to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Dodgers' relief corps could not complete the inning.

Anthony Banda inherited the jam and right away fell behind. Andrés Giménez battled to a full count before scoring Varsho 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. Blake Treinen entered next but also was unable to stop the rally: Bichette and Barger punched RBI base hits through the infield, completing a four-score outburst that extended the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

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 hitter who left 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 elbow surgery, the former Cy Young winner left multiple baserunners and quieted the Dodgers' dangerous batting order. He gave up one run on four base hits and three free passes before the manager called on rookie left-hander Mason Fluharty to confront the heart of the lineup in the sixth inning. Fluharty required just 4 pitches to retire Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a fragile lead that soon grew safe.

Former starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' bats continued to struggle. The Dodgers have produced only three scores over their last 20 frames, an sudden downturn for a team that was among baseball's elite offenses all year.

Final Innings

The Los Angeles managed a score in the ninth inning when Edman grounded out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's two-base hit put runners on base. But Varland finished the game without permitting a comeback to build.

Following a night when the Blue Jays left a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after wave upon wave of missed chances, the fourth contest was ruthlessly efficient. 6 separate Blue Jays recorded hits, 5 drove in scores and the team converted nearly every scoring chance presented in the late innings.

Next Up

The victory guarantees the World Series trophy will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not won a championship since Joe Carter's iconic game-winning homer in '93. They now know they are assured a full crowd in Toronto on Friday night – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game looms with the matchup reset and momentum swinging north. Dodgers pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Blue Jays's momentum. The Blue Jays respond with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Blue Jays chased the starter early in an decisive win.