🔗 Share this article

Only 24 hours after enduring one of the most exhausting losses in World Series annals, the Toronto Blue Jays played with total control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber provided a steady outing as Toronto beat the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, squaring the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and ensuring the series will return to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had spent the early hours of the next day dealing with their marathon Game 3 loss – tied for the lengthiest Fall Classic game ever – a loss that denied them the opportunity to take the lead in the series and depleted both relief corps. Manager Schneider insisted later that “the Dodgers took a game, not the championship”. A day later, his squad provided emphatic proof.

Initial Innings

The Los Angeles again scored first. Muncy walked in the second inning, advanced on a single and crossed the plate on Hernández's fly out. But the early score did not shake a Blue Jays club that topped MLB with 49 comeback victories this season.

They responded immediately in the third. Nathan Lukes hit a one-out base hit to centre and Guerrero came to the plate looking for a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani left a slider up and Guerrero sent it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his initial long hit of the series and his 7th home run this playoffs – a new team record – regaining the Toronto's lead after 13 shutout frames and changing the tone of the game.

Ohtani's Night

That hit also halted Shohei Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 consecutive plate appearances getting on base. The dual-threat star had smashed two homers and got on base a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 walk-off. But on Tuesday, he started on short rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the previous extra-inning game.

His pitch speed was under his seasonal average and he labored more as the contest progressed. Even so, he showed glimpses of his typical command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and striking out six. He even walked in the first to extend his Fall Classic record. But the Toronto made him work: six base hits and four runs were credited to him in six-plus innings.

Seventh Inning Rally

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

Varsho opened the seventh inning with a sharp single to right field, and Clement smashed a two-base hit off the wall to put runners on with none out. Dave Roberts had no option but to pull the starter, who exited to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Dodgers' relief corps could not finish the inning.

Banda inherited the mess and right away fell behind. Andrés Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before scoring the runner with a single to left field. France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock Banda out of the contest. Blake Treinen entered next but also was unable to stop the momentum: Bichette and Barger punched RBI base hits through the diamond, completing a four-score barrage that extended the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Toronto's ability to withstand initial setbacks and answer has defined their entire postseason. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order hitter who exited Game 3 after tweaking his right side.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was everything Toronto required. Acquired mid-season while finishing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the former award-winning winner left several baserunners and quieted the Dodgers' dangerous batting order. He gave up one run on four hits and three walks before Schneider summoned rookie pitcher Mason Fluharty to confront the heart of the lineup in the sixth. Fluharty needed just four pitches to retire Max Muncy and Edman, preserving a narrow lead that quickly became safe.

Former starter Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' bats kept to struggle. Los Angeles have produced only three scores over their last 20 innings, an sudden downturn for a team that ranked among baseball's top offenses all year.

Final Innings

The Los Angeles managed a run in the ninth inning when Edman hit into an out to score Hernández after a walk and Muncy's double put runners on base. But Varland finished the game without allowing a comeback to build.

Following a game when the Blue Jays stranded a World Series-record 19 runners and fell apart after repeated of missed opportunities, Game 4 was ruthlessly efficient. 6 separate Blue Jays collected hits, five brought home scores and the squad converted nearly every run-scoring opportunity available in the final stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The win guarantees the World Series trophy will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not won a championship since Joe Carter's famous walk-off home run in '93. They now are aware they are assured a packed crowd in Toronto on Friday night – and possibly the next day – no matter what happens next in LA.

The fifth game looms with the matchup reset and momentum swinging north. Los Angeles left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Blue Jays's surge. The Blue Jays counter with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Toronto knocked out Snell early in an decisive victory.