🔗 Share this article Vladimir Guerrero Jr Homers against Shohei Ohtani as Toronto See Off Dodgers to Tie World Series at 2-2 Only 24 hours following staggering through one of the most exhausting losses in Fall Classic history, the Toronto Blue Jays played with total command. Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run homer and Bieber delivered a steady outing as the Blue Jays defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, tying the Fall Classic at two games each and guaranteeing the series will return to Toronto. The Blue Jays had spent the early hours of the next day dealing with their 18-inning third game defeat – equal to the longest Fall Classic game ever – a defeat that denied them the opportunity to take the lead in the matchup and burned through both relief corps. Manager Schneider insisted later that “they took a game, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his team offered convincing evidence. Early Innings The Los Angeles again scored first. Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, advanced on a single and scored on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial breakthrough did not rattle a Toronto team that led MLB with 49 comeback wins this year. They responded immediately in the third inning. Nathan Lukes hit a one away base hit to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate looking for a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani threw a sweeper up and he sent it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his first extra-base hit of the World Series and his seventh home run this postseason – a new club record – regaining the Toronto's advantage after 13 scoreless frames and shifting the tone of the night. Shohei's Night That swing also ended Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 consecutive plate appearances getting on base. The dual-threat star had smashed two home runs and got on base a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' third game walk-off. But on Tuesday, he started on limited rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the previous marathon. His pitch speed sat below his seasonal average and he struggled more as the contest wore on. Even so, he showed flashes of his usual command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and fanning six. He even walked in the first to extend his Fall Classic record. But the Toronto made him work: six hits and four runs were credited to him in six-plus frames. Seventh Inning Rally The bigger problem for the Dodgers was what followed when Ohtani finally ran out of steam. Daulton Varsho opened the seventh inning with a clean single to right, and Clement drilled a double off the fence to put two on with no outs. Roberts had no option but to pull Ohtani, who departed to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not complete the inning. Anthony Banda inherited the jam and right away trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before scoring the runner with a base hit to left. France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove Banda out of the game. Blake Treinen entered next but also was unable to stop the rally: Bichette and Addison Barger hit run-scoring base hits through the diamond, capping a four-score barrage that extended the margin to 6-1. Toronto's Toughness The Blue Jays's ability to withstand initial setbacks and respond has characterized their entire run. They once again did it without Springer, the injured leadoff hitter who exited the third game after straining his oblique. Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what the Blue Jays required. Acquired during the summer while finishing recovery from elbow surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner left multiple baserunners and quieted the Dodgers' dangerous lineup. He allowed one run on four hits and three free passes before the manager summoned first-year pitcher Mason Fluharty to confront the core of the lineup in the sixth. Fluharty required just four pitches to retire Muncy and Edman, protecting a narrow lead that soon grew comfortable. Former starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' offense continued to sputter. The Dodgers have produced only 3 scores over their last 20 frames, an abrupt slowdown for a club that was among baseball's elite offenses all season. Final Innings The Los Angeles scraped a score in the ninth when Tommy Edman grounded out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Muncy's double put two on base. But Varland closed it down without permitting a comeback to build. After a night when the Blue Jays stranded a World Series-record 19 runners and fell apart after wave upon wave of missed chances, Game 4 was brutally effective. Six separate Toronto players collected base hits, five brought home scores and the team cashed nearly every scoring opportunity available in the final stanzas. Looking Ahead The win guarantees the championship trophy will be presented at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not won a title since Joe Carter's famous game-winning home run in 1993. They now know they are assured a packed house in Canada on Friday evening – and possibly Saturday – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles. Game 5 approaches with the matchup reset and energy shifting north. Dodgers left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Blue Jays's momentum. The Blue Jays respond with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Toronto knocked out Snell early in an 11-4 victory.