Vladimir Guerrero Jr Blasts against Ohtani as Toronto See Off Los Angeles to Level World Series at 2-2

Only 24 hours after staggering through one of the most exhausting losses in World Series annals, the Blue Jays played with complete command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run homer and Bieber delivered a steady start as Toronto beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, tying the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and ensuring the series will head back to Canada.

Toronto had spent the morning of Tuesday dealing with their 18-inning third game defeat – equal to the lengthiest World Series game ever – a defeat that denied them the opportunity to lead the matchup and depleted both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider insisted afterwards that “they won a contest, not the championship”. A day later, his squad offered convincing evidence.

Initial Innings

The Los Angeles again struck first. Muncy walked in the second inning, moved up on a single and crossed the plate on Hernández's fly out. But the initial score did not shake a Toronto team that topped MLB with 49 come-from-behind wins this year.

They responded right away in the third. Lukes lined a one-out base hit to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in looking for a curveball. Shohei Ohtani left a slider up and he sent it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his first long hit of the series and his 7th home run this postseason – a fresh team mark – regaining the Toronto's advantage after 13 scoreless innings and changing the tone of the night.

Ohtani's Performance

That hit also ended Ohtani's history-making run of 11 straight at-bats getting on base. The dual-threat phenomenon had smashed two homers and reached safely a record nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 walk-off. But on that night, he started on limited rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the prior marathon.

Ohtani fastball velocity was under his regular-season average and he labored more as the game wore on. Nonetheless, he displayed flashes of his typical command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first to extend his World Series streak. But the Toronto made him work: six hits and four runs were charged to him in six-plus innings.

Late Game Rally

The bigger problem for the Dodgers was what came next when Ohtani finally ran out of energy.

Daulton Varsho started the seventh with a sharp single to right, and Clement smashed a double off the wall to put two on with none out. Roberts had no option but to remove the starter, who departed to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not complete the inning.

Anthony Banda inherited the jam and immediately fell behind. Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before driving in Varsho with a base hit to left field. France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock the pitcher out of the contest. Treinen entered next but also was unable to stem the rally: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger hit RBI singles through the diamond, completing a four-run barrage that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Toronto's capacity to withstand initial setbacks and answer has characterized their entire run. They once again did it without Springer, the injured leadoff man who left Game 3 after straining his right side.

Bieber, meanwhile, was everything the Blue Jays needed. Traded for mid-season while completing rehab from elbow surgery, the former award-winning winner stranded multiple runners and quieted the Los Angeles' dangerous batting order. He allowed one earned run on four hits and three walks before the manager summoned rookie left-hander Mason Fluharty to confront the heart of the order in the sixth. He required just 4 throws to get out Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a fragile lead that soon grew comfortable.

Former starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' offense kept to sputter. The Dodgers have scored only 3 runs over their previous 20 innings, an abrupt downturn for a team that was among MLB's elite lineups all year.

Final Moments

The Los Angeles managed a score in the ninth when Tommy Edman hit into an out to score Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's two-base hit put two on base. But Varland closed it down without allowing a comeback to build.

Following a night when Toronto left a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after wave upon wave of missed chances, the fourth contest was brutally effective. Six different Toronto players collected base hits, 5 drove in runs and the squad cashed nearly every run-scoring chance presented in the final innings.

Looking Ahead

The win guarantees the World Series title will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not won a championship since Joe Carter's famous walk-off home run in 1993. They now are aware they are assured a full crowd in Canada on Friday evening – and perhaps the next day – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game approaches with the matchup even and energy swinging north. Dodgers pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Blue Jays's momentum. Toronto respond with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Blue Jays knocked out Snell early in an decisive win.