Guerrero Blasts off Shohei Ohtani as Toronto Defeat Dodgers to Level World Series at 2-2

Less than a day following enduring one of the most exhausting defeats in Fall Classic annals, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed complete command.

Guerrero smashed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber delivered a steady start as Toronto beat the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, tying the Fall Classic at two games each and ensuring the matchup will return to Canada.

Toronto had passed the morning of the next day processing their marathon third game defeat – equal to the lengthiest World Series game ever – a loss that cost them the opportunity to lead the series and burned through both bullpens. Manager John Schneider stated later that “the Dodgers won a game, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his team offered convincing evidence.

Initial Action

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

They responded right away in the third inning. Lukes hit a one-out base hit to center field and Guerrero came to the plate hunting a curveball. Ohtani threw a sweeper up and he drove it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his initial extra-base hit of the series and his 7th home run this playoffs – a fresh club mark – regaining the Blue Jays's lead after 13 scoreless frames and shifting the momentum of the game.

Ohtani's Night

That swing also ended Shohei Ohtani's history-making run of 11 consecutive at-bats getting on base. The two-way phenomenon had hit two homers and reached safely a record nine times in the Los Angeles' third game walk-off. But on that night, he started on limited rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the previous marathon.

Ohtani fastball velocity sat below his regular-season norm and he struggled more as the game wore on. Nonetheless, he displayed flashes of his usual command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and striking out six. He even walked in the first inning to extend his World Series streak. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six base hits and four runs were credited to him in over six innings.

Late Game Rally

The larger problem for the Dodgers was what came next when he eventually ran out of energy.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh inning with a sharp hit to right field, and Ernie Clement smashed a double off the wall to put runners on with no outs. Dave Roberts had little choice but to pull Ohtani, who exited to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not finish the inning.

Banda inherited the mess and immediately fell behind. Giménez battled to a full count before driving in Varsho with a base hit to left. France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove the pitcher out of the game. Treinen entered next but also was unable to stem the momentum: Bichette and Addison Barger punched run-scoring base hits through the infield, capping a four-score barrage that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Toronto's ability to absorb initial blows and answer has characterized their entire run. They once again did it without George Springer, the injured leadoff man who exited Game 3 after straining his right side.

Bieber, in contrast, was everything Toronto needed. Traded for during the summer while finishing rehab from elbow surgery, the ex- award-winning winner left several baserunners and quieted the Dodgers' potent batting order. He gave up one earned run on four hits and three walks before Schneider summoned rookie pitcher Fluharty to face the core of the order in the sixth inning. He needed just 4 pitches to get out Muncy and Edman, preserving a fragile lead that soon grew safe.

Former starter Chris Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' bats kept to struggle. The Dodgers have scored only three scores over their last 20 innings, an abrupt slowdown for a club that was among baseball's top offenses all year.

Final Moments

The Los Angeles managed a score in the ninth when Tommy Edman hit into an out to score Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's two-base hit put two on base. But Louis Varland finished the game without allowing a rally to develop.

Following a game when the Blue Jays left a World Series-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after wave upon wave of wasted chances, Game 4 was ruthlessly effective. Six separate Toronto players collected base hits, five drove in runs and the team cashed almost every scoring chance available in the final innings.

Next Up

The victory ensures the championship title will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not won a title since Carter's iconic game-winning home run in '93. They now are aware they are assured a packed crowd in Toronto on Friday evening – and possibly Saturday – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 approaches with the matchup reset and momentum swinging north. Los Angeles left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Blue Jays's momentum. Toronto respond with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Blue Jays knocked out the starter early in an 11-4 win.