🔗 Share this article

Only 24 hours after staggering through one of the most exhausting defeats in Fall Classic history, the Toronto Blue Jays played with total command.

Guerrero crushed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber delivered a composed outing as Toronto defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, squaring the World Series at two games each and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Canada.

The Blue Jays had spent the morning of the next day dealing with their 18-inning Game 3 loss – tied for the longest Fall Classic contest ever – a defeat that cost them the chance to lead the series and depleted both bullpens. Skipper Schneider stated later that “the Dodgers won a contest, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his team provided emphatic evidence.

Early Action

The Dodgers again struck first. Muncy walked in the second inning, advanced on a single and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the initial score did not rattle a Toronto team that led Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind wins this year.

They answered right away in the third inning. Lukes lined a one-out single to center field and Guerrero stepped in looking for a curveball. Shohei Ohtani left a sweeper up and Guerrero sent it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his first long hit of the World Series and his 7th homer this playoffs – a fresh club record – regaining the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 shutout frames and changing the tone of the game.

Ohtani's Performance

That swing also halted Shohei Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 straight plate appearances reaching base. The dual-threat star had hit two home runs and got on base a historic nine times in the Dodgers' third game comeback win. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on limited rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the prior extra-inning game.

His fastball velocity sat below his regular-season average and he struggled more as the game wore on. Even so, he displayed glimpses of his usual command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to continue his World Series streak. But the Toronto made him work: six base hits and four earned runs were credited to him in over six innings.

Late Game Surge

The bigger issue for Los Angeles was what followed when Ohtani finally ran out of energy.

Varsho opened the seventh inning with a sharp hit to right field, and Ernie Clement drilled a two-base hit off the fence to put two on with none out. Roberts had little choice but to remove the starter, who exited to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Dodgers' bullpen could not finish the inning.

Anthony Banda inherited the jam and immediately trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez battled to a full count before driving in the runner with a base hit to left. Ty France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock the pitcher out of the game. Blake Treinen entered next but also failed to stem the rally: Bichette and Addison Barger hit RBI base hits through the infield, capping a four-run barrage that extended the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Toronto's ability to withstand initial blows and respond has characterized their whole run. They once again did it without George Springer, the hurt leadoff hitter who left Game 3 after straining his oblique.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was everything Toronto needed. Acquired during the summer while finishing rehab from elbow surgery, the former Cy Young winner left several baserunners and silenced the Dodgers' dangerous lineup. He allowed one run on four hits and three walks before the manager summoned first-year pitcher Fluharty to face the heart of the lineup in the sixth inning. He required just 4 pitches to get out Muncy and Edman, preserving a narrow advantage that soon grew safe.

Converted starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' bats kept to struggle. Los Angeles have produced only three scores over their last 20 innings, an sudden downturn for a team that was among MLB's elite offenses all season.

Final Innings

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

After a game when the Blue Jays stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after wave upon wave of missed opportunities, the fourth contest was brutally effective. Six different Blue Jays recorded hits, 5 brought home runs and the squad converted almost every scoring opportunity available in the final innings.

Looking Ahead

The victory guarantees the championship trophy will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not won a title since Joe Carter's famous game-winning home run in 1993. They now know they are assured a full house in Canada on Friday evening – and possibly the next day – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 looms with the series reset and energy shifting to Toronto. Dodgers left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Blue Jays's surge. The Blue Jays respond with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Toronto chased Snell quickly in an decisive win.