🔗 Share this article

Less than a day following staggering through one of the most exhausting defeats in Fall Classic history, the Blue Jays displayed total control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run homer and Bieber delivered a steady outing as the Blue Jays defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, squaring the Fall Classic at two games each and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Toronto.

Toronto had spent the early hours of the next day processing their marathon Game 3 loss – equal to the longest Fall Classic contest ever – a defeat that cost them the chance to take the lead in the matchup and burned through both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider stated later that “the Dodgers won a game, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad provided convincing evidence.

Initial Action

The Dodgers again scored first. Muncy walked in the second inning, moved up on a single and crossed the plate on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early breakthrough did not shake a Toronto club that led Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind victories this year.

They answered right away in the third. Lukes hit a one away base hit to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate hunting a curveball. Ohtani threw a sweeper up and he sent it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his first extra-base hit of the World Series and his seventh home run this playoffs – a fresh team record – regaining the Blue Jays's lead after 13 shutout frames and shifting the momentum of the game.

Shohei's Performance

That swing also halted Ohtani's history-making run of 11 straight at-bats getting on base. The dual-threat star had smashed two homers and got on base a historic nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 comeback win. But on that night, he took the mound on limited rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the previous extra-inning game.

His pitch speed sat below his seasonal average and he struggled more as the game wore on. Even so, he showed flashes of his usual command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first to extend his World Series streak. But the Blue Jays made him work: six base hits and four earned runs were credited to him in over six frames.

Late Game Rally

The bigger issue for Los Angeles was what followed when he finally lost energy.

Varsho started the seventh with a sharp single to right field, and Ernie Clement drilled a double off the fence to put two on with no outs. Dave Roberts had no option but to remove the starter, who exited to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not complete the inning.

Banda inherited the mess and immediately trailed in the count. Giménez fought to a full count before driving in Varsho with a base hit to left field. France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock the pitcher out of the game. Treinen came in next but also was unable to stem the momentum: Bo Bichette and Barger punched run-scoring singles through the diamond, completing a four-run outburst that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Toronto's capacity to withstand initial blows and respond has characterized their whole postseason. They once again did it without Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order hitter who left Game 3 after straining his oblique.

Bieber, in contrast, was everything Toronto needed. Acquired during the summer while finishing recovery from elbow surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner stranded several runners and silenced the Los Angeles' dangerous batting order. He gave up one run on four hits and three walks before Schneider summoned first-year left-hander Mason Fluharty to face the core of the lineup in the sixth inning. Fluharty required just four throws to get out Muncy and Edman, protecting a fragile advantage that quickly grew safe.

Former starter Chris Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' offense continued to struggle. Los Angeles have scored only three scores over their previous 20 innings, an abrupt slowdown for a club that was among baseball's top offenses all season.

Final Moments

The Dodgers managed a run in the ninth when Tommy Edman hit into an out to bring home Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's two-base hit put two on base. But Louis Varland finished the game without permitting a comeback to build.

Following a night when Toronto stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after wave upon wave of missed opportunities, Game 4 was ruthlessly efficient. Six separate Toronto players collected hits, five brought home runs and the team converted nearly every run-scoring opportunity presented in the late innings.

Next Up

The win ensures the championship trophy will be presented at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not won a championship since Joe Carter's famous game-winning home run in '93. They now know they are guaranteed a full house in Canada on Friday night – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what happens next in LA.

The fifth game looms with the series reset and momentum swinging north. Dodgers pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Blue Jays's momentum. Toronto respond with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Blue Jays chased Snell quickly in an 11-4 victory.