🔗 Share this article Guerrero Homers off Ohtani as Blue Jays Defeat Dodgers to Level Series at 2-2 Less than a day following enduring one of the most exhausting losses in World Series history, the Toronto Blue Jays played with total control. Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber provided a composed outing as Toronto defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, squaring the World Series at two games each and ensuring the series will return to Toronto. Toronto had passed the morning of Tuesday processing their 18-inning third game defeat – equal to the longest Fall Classic game ever – a defeat that denied them the chance to take the lead in the series and depleted both bullpens. Skipper Schneider stated later that “the Dodgers took a game, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad offered convincing evidence. Initial Action The Los Angeles again struck first. Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, moved up on a base hit and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early breakthrough did not shake a Blue Jays club that led Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind wins this season. They answered immediately in the third. Nathan Lukes lined a one away single to centre and Guerrero stepped in hunting a curveball. Ohtani threw a sweeper up and he sent it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his initial extra-base hit of the World Series and his seventh home run this postseason – a new club record – restoring the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 scoreless frames and shifting the momentum of the game. Shohei's Night That swing also halted Shohei Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 consecutive at-bats getting on base. The dual-threat phenomenon had smashed two homers and reached safely a record nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 comeback win. But on that night, he started on short rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the previous marathon. His fastball velocity was below his regular-season average and he labored more as the game wore on. Nonetheless, he showed flashes of his typical command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to extend his World Series streak. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six base hits and four earned runs were charged to him in six-plus frames. Late Game Rally The larger issue for Los Angeles was what came next when Ohtani eventually lost steam. Daulton Varsho started the seventh with a clean hit to right, and Clement smashed a two-base hit off the wall to put runners on with no outs. Dave Roberts had no option but to pull Ohtani, who departed to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not complete the escape. Anthony Banda inherited the jam and right away fell behind. Andrés Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before driving in the runner with a base hit to left. France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove Banda out of the game. Treinen came in next but also was unable to stop the rally: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger hit run-scoring singles through the diamond, capping a four-score outburst that extended the lead to 6-1. Blue Jays's Resilience The Toronto's capacity to withstand initial setbacks and respond has characterized their entire postseason. They once again succeeded without Springer, the hurt leadoff man who left Game 3 after tweaking his right side. Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what the Blue Jays required. Acquired mid-season while finishing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the former award-winning winner stranded multiple baserunners and quieted the Dodgers' potent batting order. He allowed one earned run on four base hits and three walks before the manager summoned rookie pitcher Fluharty to confront the heart of the order in the sixth. Fluharty needed just four throws to get out Muncy and Edman, preserving a fragile advantage that soon grew safe. Former starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' offense kept to struggle. Los Angeles have produced only three scores over their previous 20 frames, an abrupt downturn for a club that ranked among MLB's top offenses all season. Closing Innings The Los Angeles managed a score in the ninth when Tommy Edman grounded out to score Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's two-base hit put runners aboard. But Varland finished the game without permitting a comeback to build. After a game when the Blue Jays left a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after repeated of missed chances, the fourth contest was brutally efficient. 6 separate Blue Jays recorded hits, five drove in scores and the team cashed nearly every run-scoring opportunity available in the late innings. Looking Ahead The win ensures the championship trophy will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not won a championship since Joe Carter's iconic walk-off homer in '93. They now are aware they are assured a full house in Canada on Friday night – and possibly Saturday – no matter what happens next in LA. The fifth game looms with the matchup reset and energy shifting to Toronto. Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Blue Jays's surge. Toronto counter with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Toronto chased Snell early in an 11-4 win.