Guerrero Homers off Shohei Ohtani as Blue Jays Defeat Los Angeles to Level World Series at 2-2

Only 24 hours after staggering through one of the most draining losses in World Series annals, the Blue Jays displayed total control.

Guerrero crushed a two-run home run and Bieber provided a steady start as Toronto beat the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, tying the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Toronto.

Toronto had passed the early hours of Tuesday dealing with their marathon third game defeat – equal to the longest World Series game ever – a defeat that denied them the opportunity to lead the series and burned through both bullpens. Skipper Schneider stated later that “the Dodgers took a game, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad offered emphatic proof.

Early Action

The Dodgers again struck first. Max Muncy walked in the second inning, advanced on a base hit and crossed the plate on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early score did not shake a Blue Jays club that led MLB with 49 come-from-behind victories this year.

They responded immediately in the third inning. Nathan Lukes hit a one-out base hit to center field and Guerrero came to the plate hunting a curveball. Ohtani threw a slider up and he drove it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his initial long hit of the series and his 7th homer this playoffs – a fresh club mark – restoring the Blue Jays's lead after 13 scoreless innings and changing the momentum of the night.

Shohei's Night

That hit also halted Shohei Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 consecutive plate appearances reaching base. The two-way star had hit two home runs and got on base a historic nine times in the Dodgers' third game walk-off. But on Tuesday, he started on short rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the prior extra-inning game.

Ohtani fastball velocity was under his regular-season norm and he struggled more as the game wore on. Nonetheless, he displayed flashes of his typical command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to continue his Fall Classic record. But the Toronto made him work: six base hits and four earned runs were credited to him in six-plus frames.

Seventh Inning Rally

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

Varsho opened the seventh with a clean single to right field, and Ernie Clement drilled a two-base hit off the wall to put runners on with none out. Dave Roberts had little choice but to remove Ohtani, who departed to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Dodgers' relief corps could not complete the escape.

Anthony Banda inherited the jam and immediately trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez battled to a 3-2 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. Treinen came in next but also failed to stem the rally: Bichette and Barger punched RBI singles through the infield, completing a four-score barrage that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Toronto's ability to withstand initial blows and answer has defined their entire run. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the hurt leadoff hitter who exited Game 3 after tweaking his right side.

Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what the Blue Jays required. Acquired during the summer while completing recovery from elbow surgery, the former award-winning winner stranded several runners and quieted the Dodgers' dangerous lineup. He gave up one run on four hits and three free passes before the manager called on rookie left-hander Fluharty to face the core of the order in the sixth inning. He needed just 4 throws to retire Muncy and Edman, preserving a narrow lead that quickly grew comfortable.

Former starter Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' bats continued to sputter. The Dodgers have produced only 3 runs over their last 20 frames, an sudden slowdown for a team that ranked among MLB's elite lineups all season.

Closing Innings

The Los Angeles managed a run in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman hit into an out to bring home Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's double put runners aboard. But Varland finished the game without allowing a rally to develop.

Following a night when Toronto left a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after repeated of missed chances, the fourth contest was brutally efficient. Six separate Toronto players recorded hits, 5 drove in scores and the team cashed nearly every scoring opportunity available in the final innings.

Looking Ahead

The victory ensures the World Series trophy will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not celebrated a title since Carter's famous walk-off homer in '93. They now know they are guaranteed a full crowd in Canada on Friday night – and perhaps the next day – no matter what occurs next in LA.

Game 5 looms with the series even and energy swinging north. Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Blue Jays's surge. The Blue Jays respond with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Blue Jays chased the starter quickly in an decisive victory.