🔗 Share this article

Only 24 hours after enduring one of the most exhausting losses in Fall Classic history, the Blue Jays displayed total command.

Guerrero smashed a two-run home run and Bieber delivered a composed outing as Toronto beat the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, tying the World Series at two wins apiece and ensuring the matchup will head back to Toronto.

Toronto had spent the early hours of the next day processing their marathon Game 3 loss – tied for the longest World Series game ever – a defeat that cost them the chance to lead the matchup and depleted both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider stated later that “the Dodgers won a game, not the championship”. A day later, his team provided convincing evidence.

Initial Innings

The Los Angeles again struck first. Max 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 early score did not shake a Toronto club that topped Major League Baseball with 49 comeback victories this year.

They answered immediately in the third inning. Lukes lined a one-out single to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in looking for a curveball. Ohtani left a slider up and Guerrero sent it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his initial long hit of the World Series and his 7th homer this postseason – a new team mark – regaining the Toronto's lead after 13 scoreless innings and changing the tone of the game.

Ohtani's Performance

That hit also ended Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 consecutive plate appearances getting on base. The two-way star had smashed two homers and got on base a record nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 walk-off. But on that night, he started on short rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the prior extra-inning game.

Ohtani fastball velocity sat below his regular-season average and he labored more as the contest wore on. Even so, he showed flashes of his typical control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and striking out six. He even walked in the first inning to continue his World Series streak. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six base hits and four earned runs were credited to him in six-plus frames.

Late Game Surge

The bigger problem for Los Angeles was what followed when he finally ran out of steam.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh inning with a clean hit to right, and Ernie Clement smashed a double off the wall to put runners on with no outs. Roberts had little choice but to pull the starter, who departed to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not complete the escape.

Banda inherited the jam and right away trailed in the count. Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before driving in the runner with a base hit to left field. Ty 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 entered next but also was unable to stop the momentum: Bichette and Addison Barger punched RBI singles through the diamond, capping a four-score outburst that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Blue Jays's ability to absorb initial blows and answer has defined their whole postseason. They once again did it without George Springer, the injured top-of-the-order man who exited Game 3 after tweaking his oblique.

Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what the Blue Jays needed. Acquired mid-season while completing recovery from elbow surgery, the ex- award-winning winner left multiple runners and quieted the Los Angeles' dangerous batting order. He allowed one run on four hits and three free passes before Schneider called on rookie pitcher Mason Fluharty to face the heart of the lineup in the sixth inning. Fluharty required just four throws to get out Muncy and Edman, preserving a fragile advantage that quickly became comfortable.

Former starter Chris Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' offense kept to sputter. Los Angeles have scored only three scores over their previous 20 frames, an abrupt downturn for a team that ranked among MLB's top offenses all season.

Closing Innings

The Dodgers managed a score in the ninth when Tommy Edman hit into an out to bring home Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's two-base hit put runners on base. But Louis Varland closed it down without permitting a rally to build.

After a night when the Blue Jays stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and fell apart after wave upon wave of missed opportunities, Game 4 was ruthlessly efficient. 6 separate Toronto players collected base hits, five drove in runs and the team converted nearly every scoring opportunity presented in the final stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The victory ensures the championship title will be presented at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a championship since Joe Carter's iconic walk-off home run in 1993. They now know they are guaranteed a packed house in Canada on Friday night – and possibly the next day – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game approaches with the matchup even and momentum shifting to Toronto. Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Blue Jays's momentum. The Blue Jays counter with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Toronto knocked out the starter quickly in an decisive win.