Vladimir Guerrero Jr Blasts off Shohei Ohtani as Blue Jays See Off Los Angeles to Tie World Series at 2-2

Only 24 hours after enduring one of the most draining losses in World Series history, the Toronto Blue Jays played with complete command.

Guerrero crushed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber delivered a steady start as Toronto defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, squaring the Fall Classic at two games each and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Canada.

Toronto had spent the early hours of the next day processing their marathon Game 3 loss – tied for the lengthiest Fall Classic contest ever – a loss that denied them the chance to lead the matchup and burned through both bullpens. Skipper Schneider insisted afterwards that “the Dodgers took a contest, not the championship”. A day later, his squad provided emphatic proof.

Early Innings

The Los Angeles again scored first. Muncy walked in the second inning, advanced on a single and scored on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early breakthrough did not shake a Toronto team that led Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind wins this season.

They answered right away in the third. Lukes hit a one away base hit to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in hunting a curveball. Ohtani left a sweeper up and he sent it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his first long hit of the series and his 7th homer this playoffs – a fresh club record – restoring the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 scoreless innings and changing the momentum of the night.

Shohei's Night

That swing also halted Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 straight at-bats reaching base. The dual-threat phenomenon had smashed two home runs and reached safely a record nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 comeback win. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on limited rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the previous extra-inning game.

His fastball velocity was below his regular-season average and he labored more as the game progressed. Even so, he displayed flashes of his typical control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and striking out six. He even walked in the first inning to extend his World Series streak. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six hits and four runs were credited to him in six-plus innings.

Late Game Rally

The bigger problem for the Dodgers was what followed when Ohtani eventually lost energy.

Daulton Varsho started the seventh with a clean single to right field, and Clement smashed a double off the wall to put two on with no outs. Roberts had little choice but to pull Ohtani, who departed to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not finish the inning.

Banda inherited the jam and immediately fell behind. Andrés Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before scoring the runner with a base hit to left field. France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock the pitcher out of the contest. Blake Treinen came in next but also was unable to stem the momentum: Bo Bichette and Barger punched run-scoring base hits through the diamond, capping a four-score outburst that extended the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Blue Jays's ability to withstand initial setbacks and respond has defined their whole run. They once again succeeded without Springer, the injured top-of-the-order hitter who exited the third game after tweaking his right side.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was everything Toronto needed. Traded for during the summer while finishing recovery from elbow surgery, the former Cy Young winner stranded several baserunners and silenced the Los Angeles' dangerous batting order. He allowed one run on four base hits and three walks before the manager summoned rookie pitcher Mason Fluharty to face the core of the order in the sixth. Fluharty required just four pitches to get out Max Muncy and Edman, preserving a narrow lead that soon grew safe.

Converted starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' offense kept to struggle. The Dodgers have produced only 3 scores over their last 20 frames, an sudden slowdown for a team that ranked among MLB's elite offenses all season.

Closing Moments

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

Following a night when the Blue Jays left a World Series-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after wave upon wave of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was brutally efficient. 6 separate Toronto players collected hits, five brought home scores and the team cashed nearly every run-scoring opportunity available in the final innings.

Looking Ahead

The victory ensures the championship trophy will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not won a title since Carter's famous walk-off home run in '93. They now know they are guaranteed a packed house in Toronto on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game looms with the matchup even and energy swinging to Toronto. Los Angeles left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Toronto's momentum. Toronto respond with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Toronto knocked out Snell early in an 11-4 win.