Guerrero Blasts against Shohei Ohtani as Toronto Defeat Dodgers to Tie World Series at 2-2

Only 24 hours after staggering through one of the most exhausting defeats in Fall Classic history, the Toronto Blue Jays played with complete control.

Guerrero crushed a two-run home run and Bieber provided a steady start as the Blue Jays beat the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, tying the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and ensuring the series will return to Canada.

Toronto had passed the early hours of Tuesday processing their marathon Game 3 loss – tied for the longest Fall Classic contest ever – a defeat that denied them the opportunity to take the lead in the series and depleted both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider stated later that “they won a game, not the World Series”. A day later, his squad provided emphatic proof.

Initial Innings

The Los Angeles again scored first. Max Muncy walked in the second, moved up on a single and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial breakthrough did not rattle a Toronto club that topped MLB with 49 come-from-behind wins this year.

They answered immediately in the third inning. Nathan Lukes hit a one-out base hit to center field and Guerrero came to the plate looking for a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani left a slider up and Guerrero drove it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his initial long hit of the series and his 7th homer this postseason – a fresh club record – restoring the Blue Jays's lead after 13 scoreless frames and changing the momentum of the game.

Shohei's Performance

That swing also ended Shohei Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 straight plate appearances getting on base. The dual-threat star had hit two homers and got on base a record nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 comeback win. But on that night, he started on limited rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the previous marathon.

Ohtani fastball velocity was under his seasonal norm and he labored more as the contest wore on. Even so, he displayed glimpses of his usual control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to continue his World Series record. But the Toronto made him work: six hits and four runs were credited to him in six-plus innings.

Seventh Inning Rally

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

Daulton Varsho started the seventh inning with a sharp hit to right, and Ernie Clement drilled a double off the wall to put runners on with none out. Dave Roberts had little choice but to remove the starter, who departed to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Dodgers' bullpen could not finish the escape.

Banda came into the jam and right away trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez battled to a full count before driving in the runner with a base hit to left. Ty France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove Banda out of the contest. Blake Treinen entered next but also failed to stop the rally: Bo Bichette and Barger hit RBI singles through the infield, completing a four-run outburst that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Toronto's ability to absorb early blows and respond has characterized their entire run. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the hurt leadoff hitter who left Game 3 after straining his right side.

Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what Toronto required. Acquired during the summer while finishing rehab from elbow surgery, the former Cy Young winner left multiple runners and silenced the Dodgers' potent lineup. He gave up one run on four base hits and three free passes before Schneider summoned first-year pitcher Mason Fluharty to confront the heart of the order in the sixth inning. Fluharty needed just four pitches to retire Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a narrow lead that quickly grew safe.

Former starter Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' bats kept to struggle. Los Angeles have scored only three scores over their last 20 innings, an sudden downturn for a team that ranked among baseball's top lineups all season.

Final Moments

The Los Angeles scraped a score in the ninth when Edman grounded out to bring home Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's double put runners aboard. But Varland finished the game without allowing a rally to build.

Following a night when Toronto left a World Series-record 19 runners and collapsed after wave upon wave of missed chances, Game 4 was ruthlessly efficient. Six different Toronto players collected base hits, five brought home runs and the team converted nearly every scoring chance available in the late innings.

Next Up

The victory guarantees the World Series trophy will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not won a championship since Joe Carter's iconic walk-off homer in '93. They now are aware they are assured a full house in Canada on Friday night – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game approaches with the series even and momentum swinging north. Los Angeles left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Blue Jays's momentum. Toronto respond with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Toronto chased the starter early in an decisive win.