🔗 Share this article Vladimir Guerrero Jr Homers off Shohei Ohtani as Blue Jays Defeat Los Angeles to Level World Series at 2-2 Only 24 hours after staggering through one of the most exhausting defeats in World Series annals, the Blue Jays displayed complete control. Guerrero smashed a two-run homer and Bieber provided a composed outing as Toronto beat the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, tying the World Series at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the series will return to Toronto. Toronto had passed the early hours of the next day processing their marathon third game defeat – tied for the longest World Series contest ever – a loss that denied them the opportunity to lead the matchup and depleted both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider insisted later that “they took a game, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad provided emphatic proof. Early Action The Los Angeles again struck first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second, moved up on a base hit and scored on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the initial breakthrough did not rattle a Blue Jays club that topped Major League Baseball with 49 comeback wins this season. They answered right away in the third inning. Nathan Lukes lined a one away single to center field and Guerrero stepped in looking for a curveball. Ohtani threw a sweeper up and he sent it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his first extra-base hit of the World Series and his 7th home run this postseason – a fresh club mark – restoring the Toronto's advantage after 13 shutout frames and shifting the momentum of the game. Ohtani's Night That swing also halted Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 consecutive at-bats reaching base. The two-way phenomenon had hit two homers and got on base a historic nine times in the Dodgers' third game comeback win. But on that night, he started on short rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the prior extra-inning game. Ohtani fastball velocity was under his regular-season norm and he struggled more as the game wore on. Even so, he showed glimpses of his usual command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and striking out six. He even walked in the first inning to continue his Fall Classic record. But the Blue Jays made him work: six hits and four earned runs were charged to him in six-plus frames. Seventh Inning Surge The bigger problem for Los Angeles was what came next when Ohtani finally ran out of energy. Daulton Varsho opened the seventh inning with a clean hit to right, and Ernie Clement smashed a double off the wall to put runners on with none out. Dave Roberts had no option but to pull Ohtani, who exited to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Dodgers' relief corps could not finish the escape. Anthony Banda inherited the mess and immediately fell behind. Andrés Giménez fought to a full count before scoring Varsho with a base hit to left field. Ty France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock Banda out of the contest. Treinen came in next but also failed to stem the rally: Bichette and Addison Barger punched RBI base hits through the diamond, completing a four-run outburst that extended the margin to 6-1. Toronto's Resilience The Toronto's ability to absorb early setbacks and respond has defined their entire run. They once again did it without Springer, the injured leadoff hitter who exited the third game after tweaking his right side. Shane Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what Toronto needed. Acquired mid-season while finishing recovery from elbow surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner left multiple runners and silenced the Los Angeles' dangerous batting order. He allowed one earned run on four base hits and three free passes before Schneider called on first-year left-hander Fluharty to confront the core of the lineup in the sixth inning. He needed just 4 pitches to retire Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a narrow lead that quickly became safe. Former starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' bats continued to sputter. The Dodgers have scored only three runs over their last 20 frames, an sudden slowdown for a club that ranked among baseball's top offenses all season. Closing Innings The Los Angeles scraped a score in the ninth when Edman hit into an out to score Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's two-base hit put two aboard. But Louis Varland finished the game without allowing a comeback to build. Following a game when Toronto stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and fell apart after repeated of wasted chances, Game 4 was brutally effective. 6 separate Blue Jays collected hits, 5 brought home scores and the team converted almost every scoring chance available 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 Carter's iconic walk-off homer in '93. They now are aware they are assured a full crowd in Toronto on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what happens next in LA. Game 5 looms with the matchup reset and energy shifting to Toronto. Los Angeles pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Toronto's momentum. Toronto respond with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Blue Jays knocked out the starter early in an decisive win.