Guerrero Blasts against Ohtani as Toronto Defeat Los Angeles to Tie World Series at 2-2

Only 24 hours following staggering through one of the most draining defeats in Fall Classic history, the Toronto Blue Jays played with total command.

Guerrero crushed a two-run home run and Bieber provided a steady start as Toronto defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, tying the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the matchup will return to Canada.

Toronto had spent the morning of Tuesday dealing with their marathon Game 3 loss – equal to the lengthiest World Series game ever – a loss that denied them the opportunity to take the lead in the series and depleted both bullpens. Manager John Schneider insisted later that “the Dodgers took a contest, not the World Series”. A day later, his squad offered convincing proof.

Early Innings

The Dodgers again scored first. Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, moved up on a single and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the initial breakthrough did not rattle a Blue Jays club that topped Major League Baseball with 49 comeback wins this year.

They responded immediately in the third inning. Nathan Lukes lined a one-out single to center field and Guerrero came to the plate hunting a curveball. Shohei Ohtani threw a slider up and he drove it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his initial extra-base 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 shifting the tone of the game.

Shohei's Performance

That hit also ended Ohtani's history-making run of 11 straight at-bats getting on base. The dual-threat phenomenon had smashed two home runs and reached safely a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' third game walk-off. But on that night, he started on limited rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the previous extra-inning game.

Ohtani fastball velocity sat below his regular-season average and he labored more as the contest progressed. Even so, he showed glimpses of his typical command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and fanning six. He even walked in the first to continue his World Series streak. But the Blue Jays made him work: six hits and four earned runs were credited to him in over six frames.

Seventh Inning Rally

The bigger issue for the Dodgers was what came next when he eventually ran out of energy.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh inning with a clean single to right, and Ernie Clement drilled a two-base hit off the fence to put runners on with none out. Roberts had no option but to remove the starter, who exited to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Dodgers' bullpen could not finish the escape.

Anthony Banda came into the jam and right away fell behind. Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before scoring the runner with a single to left field. Ty France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock Banda out of the game. Treinen entered next but also was unable to stop the rally: Bichette and Barger hit RBI base hits through the infield, capping a four-score outburst that extended the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Toronto's capacity to withstand initial blows and respond has defined their whole postseason. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the hurt leadoff hitter who exited Game 3 after straining his oblique.

Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what Toronto needed. Traded for mid-season while completing recovery from elbow surgery, the former award-winning winner left several baserunners and silenced the Los Angeles' potent batting order. He allowed one run on four hits and three free passes before the manager called on rookie pitcher Mason Fluharty to confront the heart of the order in the sixth. He required just four pitches to retire Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a fragile advantage that quickly grew comfortable.

Former starting pitcher Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' offense kept to struggle. The Dodgers have produced only three runs over their last 20 innings, an abrupt slowdown for a club that was among MLB's top offenses all season.

Final Innings

The Los Angeles managed a run in the ninth when Tommy Edman hit into an out to score Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Muncy's two-base hit put runners aboard. But Louis Varland finished the game without permitting a comeback to build.

After a night when the Blue Jays stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after wave upon wave of missed opportunities, the fourth contest was brutally effective. Six different Toronto players collected base hits, 5 brought home scores and the squad cashed almost every run-scoring chance presented in the late innings.

Looking Ahead

The victory guarantees the championship title will be presented at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not won a championship since Carter's iconic game-winning home run in 1993. They now know they are assured a full crowd in Canada on Friday evening – and possibly Saturday – no matter what occurs next in LA.

The fifth game approaches with the matchup even and energy swinging north. Los Angeles left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Blue Jays's momentum. Toronto counter with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Blue Jays knocked out the starter early in an 11-4 win.