🔗 Share this article Guerrero Blasts against Ohtani as Toronto Defeat Dodgers to Tie Series at 2-2 Less than a day following staggering through one of the most draining losses in Fall Classic annals, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed complete control. Guerrero smashed a two-run home run and Bieber delivered a composed outing as the Blue Jays defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, tying the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and ensuring the matchup will head back to Canada. Toronto had passed the morning of the next day processing their 18-inning Game 3 loss – tied for the lengthiest Fall Classic game ever – a loss that cost them the chance to take the lead in the matchup and burned through both relief corps. Manager John Schneider insisted later that “the Dodgers won a game, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his team provided convincing proof. Initial Innings The Dodgers again struck first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, advanced on a base hit and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the initial score did not shake a Toronto team that topped Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind wins this season. They answered right away in the third inning. Lukes lined a one away single to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate looking for a breaking ball. Ohtani left a slider up and Guerrero drove it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his first long hit of the series and his seventh home run this postseason – a fresh club record – regaining the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 scoreless frames and shifting the tone of the game. Shohei's Performance That hit also ended Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 consecutive at-bats getting on base. The two-way phenomenon had hit two home runs and reached safely a record nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 walk-off. But on that night, he started on short rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the prior extra-inning game. His pitch speed sat under his seasonal average and he struggled more as the contest progressed. Even so, he showed glimpses of his usual control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer 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 runs were charged to him in over six innings. Late Game Rally The bigger problem for the Dodgers was what followed when Ohtani eventually lost energy. Daulton Varsho opened the seventh with a sharp single to right, and Clement drilled a two-base hit off the fence to put runners on with none out. Dave Roberts had little choice but to pull Ohtani, who departed to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not complete the escape. Banda inherited the jam and immediately fell behind. Andrés Giménez battled to a full count before scoring Varsho with a base hit to left field. Ty France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove Banda out of the contest. Blake Treinen entered next but also failed to stem the momentum: Bichette and Barger punched run-scoring singles through the diamond, capping a four-run outburst that pushed the margin to 6-1. Toronto's Resilience The Toronto's capacity to withstand early blows and answer has characterized their whole run. They once again succeeded without Springer, the injured top-of-the-order man who exited Game 3 after tweaking his oblique. Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was everything Toronto required. Acquired mid-season while finishing rehab from elbow surgery, the ex- award-winning winner left several runners and silenced the Dodgers' dangerous lineup. He allowed one earned run on four hits and three free passes before Schneider called on rookie pitcher Mason Fluharty to face the core of the lineup in the sixth inning. Fluharty needed just 4 pitches to get out Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a fragile advantage that quickly grew safe. Former starter Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' offense continued to sputter. The Dodgers have scored only three scores over their last 20 innings, an sudden downturn for a team that ranked among MLB's top lineups all year. Closing Moments The Dodgers managed a score in the ninth when Edman hit into an out to score Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Muncy's double put runners on base. But Louis Varland closed it down without allowing a comeback to build. After a game when the Blue Jays stranded a World Series-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after repeated of missed chances, the fourth contest was brutally effective. Six different Toronto players recorded hits, five brought home runs and the squad cashed almost every scoring opportunity available in the final stanzas. Looking Ahead The victory ensures the championship title will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a title since Carter's iconic game-winning homer in '93. They now know they are assured a full house in Toronto on Friday evening – and possibly the next day – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles. Game 5 approaches with the matchup even and momentum swinging north. Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Toronto's momentum. The Blue Jays respond with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Blue Jays chased Snell quickly in an decisive win.