🔗 Share this article

Less than a day after enduring one of the most exhausting losses in World Series annals, the Blue Jays displayed total command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run homer and Bieber delivered a steady start as the Blue Jays beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, tying the Fall Classic at two games each and ensuring the series will return to Canada.

Toronto had passed the morning of the next day processing their 18-inning third game defeat – tied for the lengthiest Fall Classic contest ever – a loss that cost them the chance to take the lead in the series and depleted both bullpens. Manager John Schneider stated later that “they won a contest, not the World Series”. A day later, his squad provided emphatic evidence.

Initial Action

The Dodgers again scored first. Muncy walked in the second, advanced on a single and scored on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early score did not rattle a Toronto team that topped Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind victories this season.

They answered immediately in the third inning. Lukes lined a one-out single to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in looking for a breaking ball. Ohtani threw a slider up and he drove it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his initial extra-base hit of the World Series and his seventh homer this playoffs – a new team record – regaining the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 scoreless frames and changing the tone of the night.

Ohtani's Night

That swing also halted Shohei Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 consecutive at-bats reaching base. The dual-threat star had smashed two homers and reached safely a record nine times in the Dodgers' third game walk-off. But on that night, he took the mound on short rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the prior marathon.

Ohtani fastball velocity was under his regular-season average and he struggled more as the game wore on. Nonetheless, he showed 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 World Series streak. But the Toronto made him work: six base hits and four runs were charged to him in six-plus innings.

Late Game Rally

The bigger problem for the Dodgers was what followed when Ohtani eventually ran out of steam.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh inning with a sharp single to right, and Clement drilled a two-base hit off the fence to put runners on with none out. Dave Roberts had no option but to pull Ohtani, who departed to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not finish the escape.

Banda came into the mess and immediately trailed in the count. Giménez battled to a full count before driving in the runner with a base hit to left field. France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove the pitcher out of the game. Blake Treinen entered next but also was unable to stop the rally: Bo Bichette and Barger hit run-scoring base hits through the infield, capping a four-run outburst that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Blue Jays's capacity to withstand initial setbacks and respond has defined their entire postseason. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order hitter who exited the third game after tweaking his oblique.

Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what Toronto needed. Traded for during the summer while completing rehab from elbow surgery, the former Cy Young winner left several baserunners and quieted the Dodgers' dangerous lineup. He allowed one run on four base hits and three free passes before Schneider summoned first-year left-hander Mason Fluharty to confront the heart of the order in the sixth inning. He required just four throws to get out Muncy and Edman, protecting a narrow lead that soon grew safe.

Converted starting pitcher Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' bats continued to struggle. The Dodgers have scored only three runs over their last 20 innings, an sudden slowdown for a club that was among baseball's top offenses all year.

Final Innings

The Los Angeles scraped a run in the ninth when Tommy Edman grounded out to bring home Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's two-base hit put two aboard. But Varland finished the game without permitting a comeback to build.

After a night when the Blue Jays stranded a World Series-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after wave upon wave of wasted chances, the fourth contest was brutally effective. 6 different Blue Jays recorded hits, five brought home scores and the team cashed almost every run-scoring opportunity available in the late innings.

Looking Ahead

The victory guarantees the championship trophy will be presented at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not celebrated a championship since Carter's iconic game-winning homer in '93. They now are aware they are guaranteed a packed house in Canada on Friday night – and possibly the next day – no matter what happens next in LA.

The fifth game approaches with the series reset and energy swinging north. Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Toronto's momentum. The Blue Jays counter with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Blue Jays knocked out the starter quickly in an decisive win.