🔗 Share this article

Less than a day following staggering through one of the most draining defeats in World Series annals, the Blue Jays displayed complete control.

Guerrero smashed a two-run homer and Bieber provided a steady start as the Blue Jays beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, squaring the World Series at two games each and ensuring the series will head back to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had spent the morning of Tuesday processing their 18-inning Game 3 loss – equal to the longest World Series contest ever – a defeat that cost them the opportunity to lead the matchup and burned through both bullpens. Manager John Schneider insisted later that “the Dodgers won a contest, not the championship”. A day later, his team offered convincing evidence.

Early Innings

The Los Angeles again struck first. Muncy drew a walk in the second, moved up on a base hit and scored on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early score did not shake a Toronto team that led Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind victories this season.

They responded right away in the third inning. Lukes hit a one-out single to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate looking for a curveball. Shohei Ohtani threw a slider up and he sent it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his initial extra-base hit of the World Series and his seventh home run this postseason – a fresh club mark – restoring the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 shutout frames and shifting the tone of the game.

Shohei's Performance

That swing also halted Shohei Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 consecutive at-bats reaching base. The dual-threat star had hit two home runs and reached safely a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 comeback win. But on that night, he started on short rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the prior marathon.

Ohtani pitch speed was below his seasonal norm and he labored more as the contest progressed. Even so, he displayed flashes of his usual control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to continue his World Series streak. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six hits and four runs were credited to him in over six frames.

Late Game Rally

The bigger issue for Los Angeles was what came next when Ohtani finally ran out of steam.

Varsho started the seventh inning with a sharp hit to right field, and Clement drilled a two-base hit off the fence to put two on with none out. Dave Roberts had no option but to remove the starter, who departed to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not complete the escape.

Banda came into the jam and right away trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before scoring Varsho with a base hit to left. France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock Banda out of the contest. Treinen entered next but also was unable to stem the rally: Bichette and Barger punched RBI singles through the diamond, capping a four-score outburst that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Blue Jays's capacity to withstand early blows and answer has characterized their whole run. They once again succeeded without Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order hitter who exited the third game after tweaking his right side.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what the Blue Jays required. Acquired mid-season while completing recovery from elbow surgery, the ex- award-winning winner stranded multiple baserunners and silenced the Los Angeles' dangerous lineup. He gave up one run on four hits and three walks before the manager summoned first-year left-hander Fluharty to confront the heart of the lineup in the sixth inning. Fluharty required just 4 pitches to retire Muncy and Edman, protecting a fragile advantage that soon grew safe.

Former starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' offense continued to struggle. The Dodgers have produced only three runs over their previous 20 innings, an sudden slowdown for a team that ranked among baseball's elite lineups all season.

Closing Innings

The Dodgers managed a run in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman grounded out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's double put two aboard. But Louis Varland closed it down without permitting a rally to develop.

Following a game when Toronto left a World Series-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after wave upon wave of wasted chances, the fourth contest was ruthlessly efficient. 6 different Toronto players recorded hits, 5 drove in scores and the squad cashed almost every scoring chance available in the late innings.

Looking Ahead

The win ensures the World Series title will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not won a championship since Joe Carter's iconic game-winning homer in '93. They now are aware they are guaranteed a full crowd in Toronto on Friday night – and perhaps the next day – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 approaches with the matchup even and energy shifting north. Los Angeles left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Blue Jays's momentum. The Blue Jays respond with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Blue Jays chased Snell quickly in an 11-4 victory.