🔗 Share this article

Less than a day following enduring one of the most draining losses in Fall Classic history, the Blue Jays displayed complete command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run homer and Bieber delivered a composed outing as Toronto beat the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, tying the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and ensuring the matchup will head back to Toronto.

Toronto had spent the morning of the next day dealing with their 18-inning Game 3 loss – equal to the longest World Series contest ever – a defeat that cost them the chance to take the lead in the matchup and burned through both relief corps. Manager Schneider insisted later that “the Dodgers took a contest, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad provided convincing evidence.

Initial Action

The Los Angeles again scored first. Max Muncy walked in the second inning, moved up on a base hit and crossed the plate on Hernández's fly out. But the initial score did not shake a Blue Jays club that led MLB with 49 come-from-behind victories this season.

They responded immediately in the third inning. Lukes hit a one away base hit to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate looking for a curveball. Shohei Ohtani left a sweeper up and Guerrero drove it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his initial long hit of the series and his 7th home run this postseason – a fresh club mark – restoring the Blue Jays's lead after 13 scoreless frames and changing the momentum of the game.

Shohei's Performance

That swing also ended Shohei Ohtani's history-making run of 11 consecutive plate appearances getting on base. The dual-threat phenomenon had hit two home runs and reached safely a record nine times in the Dodgers' third game comeback win. But on Tuesday, he started on short rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the previous extra-inning game.

His fastball velocity sat below his regular-season average and he struggled more as the game wore on. Even so, he displayed flashes of his typical command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and fanning six. He even walked in the first to continue his World Series streak. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six base hits and four runs were charged to him in over six frames.

Late Game Surge

The larger issue for the Dodgers was what came next when he finally lost energy.

Varsho started the seventh inning with a sharp hit to right field, and Ernie Clement drilled a two-base hit off the wall to put two on with no outs. Dave Roberts had no option but to pull Ohtani, who departed to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Dodgers' bullpen could not complete the escape.

Anthony Banda inherited the jam and right away trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez battled to a 3-2 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 enough to remove Banda out of the game. Treinen entered next but also was unable to stop the momentum: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger punched run-scoring singles through the infield, capping a four-score barrage that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

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 leadoff hitter who exited Game 3 after straining his oblique.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was everything the Blue Jays needed. Traded for during the summer while completing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the former award-winning winner stranded several runners and quieted the Dodgers' potent lineup. He allowed one earned run on four base hits and three walks before the manager summoned rookie pitcher Fluharty to face the heart of the order in the sixth. He needed just 4 pitches to retire Muncy and Edman, preserving a fragile advantage that soon became comfortable.

Converted starting pitcher Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' bats kept to sputter. The Dodgers have produced only three scores over their last 20 frames, an sudden slowdown for a team that was among MLB's top offenses all year.

Final Moments

The Los Angeles managed a score in the ninth when Edman grounded 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 allowing a rally to develop.

After a game when the Blue Jays stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after wave upon wave of missed opportunities, the fourth contest was ruthlessly efficient. Six separate Blue Jays collected hits, five brought home scores and the squad converted nearly every scoring opportunity presented in the final innings.

Looking Ahead

The win guarantees the championship trophy will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not won a title since Carter's famous game-winning home run in 1993. They now are aware they are assured a full crowd in Canada on Friday night – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what occurs next in LA.

The fifth game approaches with the series reset and energy shifting north. Dodgers 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 repeat of Game 1, when the Toronto chased the starter quickly in an 11-4 win.