🔗 Share this article

Less than a day after staggering through one of the most draining defeats in Fall Classic annals, the Blue Jays played with total control.

Guerrero crushed a two-run home run and Bieber provided a composed outing as Toronto defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, tying the World Series at two wins apiece and ensuring the series will return to Canada.

The Blue Jays had passed the early hours of the next day dealing with their 18-inning third game defeat – tied for the longest World Series game ever – a loss that denied them the opportunity to lead the matchup and burned through both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider insisted afterwards that “they took a contest, not the championship”. A day later, his team offered convincing evidence.

Initial Innings

The Dodgers again struck first. Muncy walked in the second inning, advanced on a single and scored on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early breakthrough did not shake a Blue Jays club that led Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind wins this year.

They responded right away in the third inning. Nathan Lukes hit a one away base hit to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate looking for a curveball. Ohtani threw a sweeper up and he drove it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his first long hit of the series and his seventh homer this playoffs – a new club mark – regaining the Toronto's lead after 13 scoreless frames and shifting the momentum of the game.

Shohei's Night

That swing also halted Shohei Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 consecutive plate appearances getting on base. The two-way star had hit two homers and got on base a historic nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 walk-off. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on short rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the previous marathon.

Ohtani fastball velocity sat below his seasonal norm and he struggled more as the contest wore on. Nonetheless, he showed flashes of his usual control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to extend his World Series record. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six hits and four earned runs were credited to him in over six frames.

Seventh Inning Surge

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

Daulton Varsho started the seventh with a clean single to right field, and Ernie Clement smashed a two-base hit off the fence to put two on with none out. Roberts had little choice but to pull the starter, who departed to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not complete the inning.

Anthony Banda inherited the mess and right away trailed in the count. Giménez fought to a full count before driving in Varsho with a base hit to left field. Ty France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock Banda out of the contest. Treinen came in 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 barrage that extended the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Toronto's capacity to withstand initial setbacks and answer has characterized their whole postseason. They once again did it without Springer, the hurt leadoff hitter who left Game 3 after straining his right side.

Bieber, meanwhile, was everything Toronto needed. Acquired during the summer while finishing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the former award-winning winner left several runners and silenced the Dodgers' dangerous lineup. He gave up one run on four base hits and three free passes before Schneider summoned first-year left-hander Fluharty to face the core of the lineup in the sixth. He needed just four throws to retire Max Muncy and Edman, protecting a narrow advantage that quickly grew comfortable.

Converted starter Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' bats kept to struggle. The Dodgers have scored only 3 runs over their last 20 innings, an abrupt slowdown for a club that was among baseball's top offenses all year.

Final Innings

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

After a game when the Blue Jays left a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and fell apart after wave upon wave of wasted opportunities, Game 4 was brutally effective. 6 separate Toronto players collected base hits, five drove in scores and the squad converted almost every scoring opportunity presented in the late innings.

Next Up

The win ensures the World Series trophy will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not celebrated a title since Carter's iconic walk-off home run in '93. They now know they are assured a full house in Canada on Friday night – and possibly Saturday – no matter what happens next in LA.

The fifth game approaches with the series even and energy shifting to Toronto. Los Angeles pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Blue Jays's surge. Toronto counter with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Toronto knocked out the starter quickly in an decisive win.