🔗 Share this article

Only 24 hours following enduring one of the most draining defeats in World Series annals, the Blue Jays played with total command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber delivered a steady start as Toronto beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, tying the World Series at two games each and ensuring the matchup will head back to Canada.

Toronto had spent the early hours of the next day dealing with their 18-inning third game defeat – tied for the longest World Series contest ever – a defeat that cost them the chance to take the lead in the series and depleted both relief corps. Manager John Schneider stated later that “they won a game, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his team provided emphatic proof.

Initial Innings

The Dodgers again struck first. Muncy walked in the second inning, moved up on a base hit and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the early score did not rattle a Toronto club that led Major League Baseball with 49 comeback victories this season.

They responded right away in the third inning. Nathan Lukes lined a one away base hit to centre and Guerrero stepped in hunting a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani left a sweeper up and he sent it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his initial long hit of the series and his seventh homer this playoffs – a new club mark – regaining the Toronto's advantage after 13 shutout innings and shifting the momentum of the night.

Shohei's Night

That hit also ended Shohei Ohtani's history-making run of 11 straight at-bats reaching base. The dual-threat star had hit two homers and got on base a record nine times in the Los Angeles' third game walk-off. But on that night, he took the mound on short rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the prior marathon.

Ohtani fastball velocity was under his regular-season norm and he struggled more as the contest progressed. Nonetheless, he displayed flashes of his usual control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and fanning six. He even walked in the first to extend his Fall Classic record. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six hits and four earned runs were charged to him in six-plus frames.

Late Game Surge

The bigger problem for the Dodgers was what came next when he eventually lost energy.

Varsho opened the seventh inning with a sharp single to right, and Ernie Clement smashed a two-base hit off the fence to put two on with no outs. Roberts had no option but to pull Ohtani, who exited to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not finish the escape.

Banda inherited the mess and right away trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before driving in the runner with a single to left field. France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock Banda out of the game. Blake Treinen entered next but also failed to stop the momentum: Bichette and Addison Barger punched RBI base hits through the diamond, completing a four-score outburst that extended the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Toronto's capacity to withstand initial setbacks and answer has characterized their entire run. They once again did it without George Springer, the hurt leadoff man who exited the third game after straining his right side.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was everything the Blue Jays required. Acquired during the summer while completing rehab from elbow surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner stranded multiple runners and silenced the Dodgers' potent lineup. He allowed one earned run on four base hits and three free passes before Schneider called on rookie pitcher Fluharty to face the heart of the order in the sixth inning. Fluharty required just 4 pitches to get out Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a narrow lead that quickly grew comfortable.

Former starting pitcher Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' offense continued to sputter. The Dodgers have produced only three scores over their last 20 frames, an abrupt slowdown for a team that ranked among baseball's top offenses all season.

Final Innings

The Los Angeles managed a score in the ninth inning when Edman grounded out to score Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's double put runners aboard. But Louis Varland closed it down without allowing a rally to develop.

Following a game when Toronto stranded a World Series-record 19 runners and collapsed after wave upon wave of missed opportunities, Game 4 was ruthlessly efficient. Six different Blue Jays recorded hits, five drove in runs and the team cashed almost every scoring opportunity available in the late innings.

Looking Ahead

The win ensures the World Series trophy will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not won a championship since Joe Carter's iconic walk-off homer in 1993. They now are aware they are assured a packed house in Toronto on Friday evening – and perhaps the next day – no matter what occurs next in LA.

The fifth game approaches with the matchup even and momentum shifting to Toronto. Dodgers left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Toronto's surge. The Blue Jays counter with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Blue Jays chased Snell early in an 11-4 win.