🔗 Share this article

Less than a day after staggering through one of the most exhausting losses in World Series annals, the Toronto Blue Jays played with total command.

Guerrero smashed a two-run home run and Bieber delivered a composed start as the Blue Jays beat the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, squaring the Fall Classic at two games each and guaranteeing the series will head back to Canada.

The Blue Jays had passed the morning of the next day dealing with their 18-inning third game defeat – equal to the lengthiest World Series game ever – a loss that cost them the opportunity to take the lead in the series and depleted both bullpens. Skipper John Schneider stated later that “they won a contest, not the championship”. A day later, his team offered emphatic proof.

Early Innings

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

They answered immediately in the third inning. Nathan Lukes hit a one-out single to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in looking for a curveball. Shohei Ohtani threw a sweeper up and he sent it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his initial long hit of the World Series and his 7th homer this postseason – a fresh team record – restoring the Blue Jays's lead after 13 shutout frames and changing the tone of the night.

Shohei's Performance

That hit also halted Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 consecutive at-bats getting on base. The dual-threat phenomenon had hit two home runs and got on base a historic nine times in the Dodgers' third game comeback win. But on Tuesday, he started on short rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the previous extra-inning game.

His fastball velocity was under his regular-season norm and he struggled more as the game progressed. Nonetheless, he showed glimpses of his usual control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and striking out six. He even walked in the first to extend his Fall Classic record. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six base hits and four earned runs were charged to him in six-plus frames.

Late Game Surge

The larger issue for Los Angeles was what came next when Ohtani finally lost steam.

Varsho opened the seventh with a sharp single to right field, and Clement drilled a double off the fence to put two on with none out. Roberts had little choice but to pull the starter, who exited to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not finish the escape.

Anthony Banda inherited the mess and immediately trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez fought to a full count before scoring Varsho with a single to left field. France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock Banda out of the game. Blake Treinen came in next but also failed to stem the rally: Bo Bichette and Barger hit run-scoring singles through the diamond, completing a four-run outburst that extended the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Blue Jays's capacity to absorb early blows and answer has characterized their entire run. They once again did it without George Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order man who exited Game 3 after tweaking his oblique.

Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what Toronto required. Traded for mid-season while completing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the former Cy Young winner left multiple runners and quieted the Los Angeles' dangerous lineup. He gave up one earned run on four hits and three free passes before Schneider called on first-year pitcher Fluharty to confront the heart of the lineup in the sixth. Fluharty required just four pitches to get out Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a narrow lead that soon grew comfortable.

Converted starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' bats continued to sputter. Los Angeles have scored only three scores over their last 20 frames, an abrupt slowdown for a team that ranked among baseball's top offenses all season.

Closing Moments

The Dodgers scraped a run in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman hit into an out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Muncy's two-base hit put runners aboard. But Varland closed it down without allowing a comeback to develop.

Following a night when the Blue Jays stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after repeated of wasted chances, the fourth contest was brutally effective. 6 separate Toronto players recorded base hits, 5 brought home scores and the squad converted nearly every scoring chance available in the final innings.

Next Up

The win ensures the championship trophy will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not celebrated a championship since Carter's iconic walk-off home run in '93. They now are aware they are assured a full crowd in Canada on Friday night – and possibly the next day – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 approaches with the matchup even and energy swinging north. Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Blue Jays's momentum. Toronto respond with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Blue Jays knocked out the starter early in an 11-4 win.