🔗 Share this article

Only 24 hours after enduring one of the most draining defeats in Fall Classic annals, the Blue Jays displayed complete command.

Guerrero smashed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber delivered a steady outing as the Blue Jays defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, tying the Fall Classic at two games each and ensuring the matchup will head back to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had spent the early hours of the next day processing their 18-inning Game 3 loss – equal to the lengthiest Fall Classic game ever – a loss that cost them the opportunity to lead the matchup and burned through both bullpens. Manager Schneider stated afterwards that “they took a game, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his team provided convincing proof.

Initial Action

The Los Angeles again scored first. Muncy walked in the second, advanced on a base hit and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early breakthrough did not shake a Toronto team that led MLB with 49 comeback wins this season.

They responded immediately in the third. Nathan Lukes lined a one away single to center field and Guerrero came to the plate looking for a breaking ball. Ohtani threw a slider up and he sent it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his initial long hit of the World Series and his seventh homer this playoffs – a new team mark – restoring the Blue Jays's lead after 13 scoreless frames and changing the momentum of the night.

Ohtani's Performance

That hit also halted Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 consecutive at-bats getting on base. The two-way star had hit two home runs and reached safely a historic nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 comeback win. But on that night, he started on short rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the prior extra-inning game.

His fastball velocity sat under his regular-season average and he labored more as the game progressed. Nonetheless, he showed flashes of his usual command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and fanning six. He even walked in the first to continue his World Series record. But the Toronto made him work: six base hits and four earned runs were charged to him in over six frames.

Late Game Surge

The bigger issue for the Dodgers was what came next when Ohtani eventually lost steam.

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

Anthony Banda came into the jam and immediately trailed in the count. Giménez battled to a full 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 sufficient to knock Banda out of the contest. Blake Treinen entered next but also failed to stop the rally: Bichette and Barger hit RBI singles through the diamond, capping a four-score outburst that extended the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Toronto's ability to absorb early setbacks and answer has defined their entire postseason. They once again did it without Springer, the injured top-of-the-order man who left the third game after tweaking his oblique.

Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what Toronto needed. Acquired during the summer while completing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the former Cy Young winner left multiple baserunners and silenced the Dodgers' dangerous lineup. He allowed one earned run on four base hits and three walks before the manager called on first-year pitcher Fluharty to face the core of the order in the sixth. He needed just 4 pitches to get out Max Muncy and Edman, preserving a narrow lead that quickly grew comfortable.

Converted starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' bats continued to struggle. The Dodgers have produced only 3 scores over their last 20 frames, an sudden downturn for a team that ranked among MLB's top offenses all season.

Closing Moments

The Dodgers scraped a run in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman hit into an out to bring home Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's two-base hit put runners on base. But Varland closed it down without permitting a comeback to build.

After a night when Toronto stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after repeated of wasted chances, Game 4 was brutally effective. 6 separate Blue Jays recorded base hits, five drove in runs and the team cashed nearly every run-scoring chance available in the late stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The win guarantees the World Series trophy will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not won a championship since Carter's famous game-winning home run in 1993. They now are aware they are assured a full house in Canada on Friday night – and perhaps the next day – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game approaches with the series reset and energy shifting north. Dodgers pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Blue Jays's surge. Toronto counter with first-year player 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.