🔗 Share this article

Only 24 hours following staggering through one of the most draining losses in Fall Classic history, the Blue Jays displayed total control.

Guerrero crushed a two-run homer and Bieber provided a steady start as Toronto beat the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, tying the World Series at two games each and ensuring the series will head back to Canada.

Toronto had passed the early hours of Tuesday dealing with their 18-inning third game defeat – tied for the longest World Series contest ever – a defeat that denied them the opportunity to take the lead in the matchup and depleted both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider insisted later that “they won a contest, not the championship”. A day later, his squad offered emphatic evidence.

Early Innings

The Los Angeles again struck first. Max Muncy walked in the second, moved up on a single and scored on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial score did not rattle a Toronto team that led MLB with 49 comeback wins this year.

They responded immediately in the third. Lukes hit a one away base hit to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in hunting a breaking ball. Ohtani left a sweeper up and he drove it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his first long hit of the World Series and his 7th home run this playoffs – a new club record – restoring the Toronto's lead after 13 shutout innings and changing the momentum of the game.

Ohtani's Night

That hit also ended Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 straight plate appearances reaching base. The two-way phenomenon had hit two homers and got on base a record nine times in the Los Angeles' third game walk-off. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on limited rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the prior marathon.

Ohtani fastball velocity was under his seasonal average and he labored more as the game progressed. Nonetheless, he showed flashes of his typical command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and fanning six. He even walked in the first inning to extend his World Series streak. But the Toronto made him work: six base hits and four runs were charged to him in over six innings.

Late Game Surge

The larger problem for Los Angeles was what came next when he finally ran out of energy.

Varsho opened the seventh inning with a sharp single to right field, and Clement drilled a double off the wall to put two on with no outs. Roberts had little choice but to pull the starter, who exited to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not complete the inning.

Anthony Banda came into the mess and right away fell behind. Giménez fought to a full count before scoring Varsho with a single to left. Ty France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock Banda out of the game. Treinen came in next but also was unable to stop the momentum: Bichette and Barger hit RBI base hits through the diamond, completing a four-run barrage that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Toronto's capacity to withstand early setbacks and respond has defined their whole postseason. They once again did it without Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order man who exited Game 3 after straining his oblique.

Bieber, in contrast, was everything Toronto required. Traded for mid-season while finishing rehab from elbow surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner stranded several runners and quieted the Dodgers' potent lineup. He gave up one run on four base hits and three free passes before the manager summoned rookie left-hander Fluharty to confront the core of the order in the sixth. He required just four pitches to retire Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a fragile lead that soon became comfortable.

Converted starter Chris Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' bats kept to sputter. The Dodgers have produced only three scores over their last 20 innings, an sudden downturn for a team that ranked among MLB's top offenses all season.

Closing Moments

The Dodgers managed a score in the ninth when Edman grounded out to score Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's two-base hit put runners on base. But Louis Varland closed it down without permitting a comeback to build.

Following a night when Toronto left a World Series-record 19 runners and fell apart after wave upon wave of wasted chances, Game 4 was brutally efficient. Six different Toronto players recorded hits, 5 brought home scores and the squad converted nearly every run-scoring chance presented in the late stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The victory ensures the championship title will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not won a title since Carter's iconic walk-off homer in 1993. They now are aware they are assured a packed crowd in Canada on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what happens next in LA.

The fifth game approaches with the matchup reset and momentum swinging north. Los Angeles left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Blue Jays's momentum. The Blue Jays respond with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Toronto chased Snell quickly in an 11-4 victory.