🔗 Share this article

Less than a day following enduring one of the most exhausting losses in World Series annals, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed total control.

Guerrero crushed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber provided a composed start as the Blue Jays beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, squaring the World Series at two games each and ensuring the series will return to Toronto.

Toronto had passed the early hours of Tuesday processing their 18-inning Game 3 loss – tied for the longest Fall Classic contest ever – a loss that cost them the opportunity to take the lead in the series and depleted both bullpens. Skipper John Schneider insisted later that “they won a contest, not the championship”. A day later, his team provided emphatic evidence.

Initial Innings

The Los Angeles again struck first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, advanced on a base hit and scored on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the initial score did not rattle a Toronto club that led Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind victories this season.

They responded right away in the third. Lukes lined a one-out single to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in looking for a curveball. Shohei Ohtani left a slider up and he sent it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his first long hit of the series and his seventh homer this postseason – a new team record – regaining the Toronto's lead after 13 scoreless innings and changing the tone of the night.

Ohtani's Performance

That hit also ended Shohei Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 straight plate appearances reaching base. The two-way phenomenon had smashed two homers and got on base a historic nine times in the Dodgers' third game comeback win. But on that night, he took the mound on short rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the previous marathon.

Ohtani fastball velocity sat below his seasonal average and he labored more as the contest progressed. Nonetheless, he displayed glimpses of his typical command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to extend his Fall Classic streak. But the Toronto made him work: six base hits and four earned runs were charged to him in over six frames.

Late Game Rally

The bigger issue for Los Angeles was what came next when Ohtani finally ran out of energy.

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

Anthony Banda came into the jam and right away trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez fought to a full count before scoring the runner 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. Blake Treinen entered next but also was unable to stop the momentum: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger hit run-scoring singles through the diamond, capping a four-run barrage that extended the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Blue Jays's ability to withstand early setbacks and answer has characterized their entire postseason. They once again did it without George Springer, the injured top-of-the-order hitter who left Game 3 after straining his right side.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was everything Toronto required. Acquired mid-season while finishing recovery from elbow surgery, the former award-winning winner stranded several baserunners and quieted the Los Angeles' potent batting order. He allowed one run on four base hits and three walks before Schneider called on first-year pitcher Fluharty to face the heart of the order in the sixth. Fluharty required just four throws to get out Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a narrow lead that quickly became comfortable.

Converted starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' offense continued to struggle. Los Angeles have produced only 3 scores over their previous 20 innings, an sudden downturn for a team that ranked among baseball's top offenses all year.

Closing Moments

The Dodgers managed a score in the ninth when Edman grounded out to bring home Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's double put runners on base. But Varland closed it down without allowing a rally to build.

After a game when the Blue Jays stranded a World Series-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after wave upon wave of missed opportunities, Game 4 was brutally efficient. 6 separate Blue Jays recorded hits, 5 drove in runs and the squad cashed almost every scoring opportunity presented in the final innings.

Next Up

The win guarantees the World Series trophy will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a championship since Carter's iconic walk-off home run in '93. They now know they are guaranteed a packed crowd in Canada on Friday night – and perhaps the next day – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game approaches with the matchup even and momentum shifting north. Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Toronto's momentum. Toronto respond with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Blue Jays chased Snell quickly in an decisive win.