🔗 Share this article

Less than a day following enduring one of the most exhausting defeats in World Series annals, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed complete command.

Guerrero crushed a two-run home run and Bieber provided a steady outing as Toronto defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, tying the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and ensuring the series will return to Canada.

Toronto had spent the early hours of Tuesday processing their 18-inning third game defeat – equal to the lengthiest World Series game ever – a loss that cost them the chance to take the lead in the series and depleted both bullpens. Skipper Schneider insisted afterwards that “they took a contest, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his team offered convincing proof.

Initial Innings

The Los Angeles again struck first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second, advanced on a single and crossed the plate on Hernández's fly out. But the initial score did not shake a Toronto team that led MLB with 49 comeback wins this season.

They responded right away in the third. Nathan Lukes hit a one-out base hit to centre and Guerrero came to the plate looking for a curveball. Shohei Ohtani threw a sweeper up and he drove it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his first long hit of the series and his 7th homer this playoffs – a fresh club mark – regaining the Toronto's advantage after 13 scoreless innings and shifting the tone of the game.

Shohei's Night

That hit also ended Shohei Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 consecutive plate appearances reaching base. The two-way star had smashed two home runs and reached safely a historic nine times in the Dodgers' third game comeback win. But on Tuesday, he started on short rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the prior marathon.

Ohtani pitch speed sat below his regular-season average and he labored more as the contest progressed. Nonetheless, he showed glimpses of his usual command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and striking out six. He even walked in the first inning to continue his World Series record. But the Toronto made him work: six hits and four runs were charged to him in over six frames.

Seventh Inning Rally

The larger problem for Los Angeles was what followed when he eventually ran out of energy.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh with a sharp single to right field, and Ernie Clement smashed a two-base hit off the fence to put two on with none out. Dave Roberts had no option but to pull Ohtani, who exited to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Dodgers' bullpen could not complete the inning.

Anthony Banda came into the mess and right away trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before driving in Varsho with a single to left. Ty France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock Banda out of the game. Treinen came in next but also was unable to stop the momentum: Bichette and Addison Barger punched run-scoring singles through the diamond, completing a four-run outburst that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Blue Jays's capacity to withstand early setbacks and respond has defined their whole run. They once again did it without George Springer, the injured top-of-the-order hitter who exited the third game after tweaking his right side.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was everything Toronto required. Traded for mid-season while completing recovery from elbow surgery, the former Cy Young winner left several runners and silenced the Dodgers' dangerous lineup. He allowed one run on four base hits and three free passes before Schneider summoned first-year left-hander Mason Fluharty to confront the core of the lineup in the sixth inning. Fluharty required just 4 throws to retire Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a fragile advantage that quickly grew safe.

Converted starter Chris Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' offense kept to struggle. The Dodgers have scored only three runs over their last 20 frames, an sudden slowdown for a team that ranked among baseball's elite lineups all year.

Closing Moments

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

Following a night when the Blue Jays stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and collapsed after repeated of missed chances, the fourth contest was brutally efficient. 6 separate Blue Jays recorded base hits, 5 brought home runs and the squad converted nearly every scoring opportunity available in the late stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The win ensures the World Series title will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not celebrated a championship since Carter's famous game-winning homer in '93. They now know they are assured a full house in Canada on Friday evening – and possibly the next day – no matter what occurs next in LA.

The fifth game approaches with the matchup even and momentum shifting to Toronto. Los Angeles left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Toronto's momentum. Toronto counter with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Blue Jays knocked out Snell quickly in an decisive win.