🔗 Share this article

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

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run homer and Bieber provided a steady start as the Blue Jays defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, tying the World Series at two wins apiece and ensuring the series will head back to Canada.

The Blue Jays had spent the morning of the next day dealing with their marathon Game 3 loss – equal to the lengthiest World Series game ever – a loss that cost them the opportunity to lead the series and burned through both bullpens. Skipper Schneider stated later that “the Dodgers took a contest, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his team offered convincing proof.

Early Action

The Los Angeles again struck first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second, advanced on a base hit and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the early breakthrough did not shake a Toronto team that topped MLB with 49 come-from-behind victories this season.

They responded right away in the third. Lukes lined a one away base hit to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr 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 extra-base hit of the World Series and his seventh home run this playoffs – a fresh club record – restoring the Blue Jays's lead after 13 shutout innings and shifting the tone of the game.

Ohtani's Performance

That swing also ended Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 consecutive plate appearances getting on base. The two-way star had smashed 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 briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the prior marathon.

Ohtani pitch speed sat under his regular-season average and he struggled more as the contest progressed. Even so, he displayed flashes of his usual command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first to extend his World Series streak. But the Blue Jays made him work: six base hits and four runs were charged to him in over six innings.

Seventh Inning Rally

The bigger problem for Los Angeles was what followed when he finally lost steam.

Varsho opened the seventh inning with a clean single to right, and Clement drilled a two-base hit off the fence to put two on with no outs. Roberts had no option but to remove the starter, who exited to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not finish the inning.

Anthony Banda inherited the jam and right away trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before driving in Varsho with a single to left. France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove the pitcher out of the contest. Treinen entered next but also was unable to stop the rally: Bichette and Barger punched run-scoring base hits through the diamond, capping a four-run barrage that extended the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Blue Jays's capacity to withstand initial blows and respond has defined their whole run. They once again did it without Springer, the injured top-of-the-order hitter who left the third game after straining his oblique.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was everything Toronto needed. Traded for during the summer while finishing recovery from elbow surgery, the ex- award-winning winner stranded several baserunners and quieted the Dodgers' potent lineup. He allowed one earned run on four base hits and three walks before the manager called on first-year pitcher Mason Fluharty to face the core of the order in the sixth. Fluharty required just 4 pitches to get out Muncy and Edman, protecting a narrow advantage that soon grew safe.

Converted starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' offense continued to sputter. Los Angeles have produced only 3 runs over their last 20 innings, an sudden downturn for a club that ranked among MLB's top offenses all year.

Final Moments

The Dodgers scraped a run in the ninth when Edman grounded out to score Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's two-base hit put two 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 runners and collapsed after wave upon wave of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was brutally effective. Six separate Toronto players collected hits, 5 brought home runs and the squad converted almost every scoring chance presented in the final innings.

Looking Ahead

The victory ensures the championship trophy will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a championship since Joe Carter's famous game-winning home run in '93. They now know they are guaranteed a full house in Canada on Friday night – and perhaps the next day – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 approaches with the matchup even and energy swinging north. Dodgers pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Toronto's surge. Toronto respond with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Toronto knocked out the starter early in an decisive victory.