Guerrero Blasts off Ohtani as Toronto Defeat Los Angeles to Tie Series at 2-2

Only 24 hours following enduring one of the most draining defeats in Fall Classic annals, the Blue Jays played with total control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run home run and Bieber delivered a steady outing as the Blue Jays defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, tying the Fall Classic at two games each and guaranteeing the series will head back to Canada.

Toronto had passed the early hours of Tuesday processing their 18-inning Game 3 loss – equal to the lengthiest Fall Classic contest ever – a defeat that denied them the chance to lead the series and burned through both relief corps. Manager John Schneider stated later that “they took a contest, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his team provided emphatic evidence.

Initial Action

The Los Angeles again struck first. Muncy walked in the second inning, moved up on a base hit and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early score did not shake a Toronto club that led MLB with 49 come-from-behind victories this year.

They answered right away in the third inning. Lukes lined a one-out base hit to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate looking for a curveball. Ohtani left a sweeper up and Guerrero drove it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his first extra-base hit of the series and his seventh home run this postseason – a new club mark – restoring the Toronto's advantage after 13 shutout innings and changing the momentum of the game.

Shohei's Night

That hit also ended Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 consecutive plate appearances getting on base. The two-way star had hit two home runs and got on base a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' third game walk-off. But on that night, he took the mound on short rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the prior extra-inning game.

Ohtani pitch speed sat under his regular-season norm and he struggled more as the contest progressed. Even so, he displayed glimpses of his typical control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first to extend his Fall Classic record. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six hits and four earned runs were charged to him in over six frames.

Late Game Rally

The larger issue for the Dodgers was what followed when he finally lost energy.

Varsho opened the seventh with a sharp hit to right, and Ernie Clement drilled a two-base hit off the wall to put runners on with no outs. Dave Roberts had little choice but to remove the starter, who departed to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not finish the escape.

Banda inherited the jam and right away fell behind. Giménez battled to a full count before scoring the runner with a base hit to left field. Ty France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove Banda out of the game. Treinen came in next but also was unable to stem the rally: Bichette and Barger punched run-scoring base hits through the diamond, completing a four-run outburst that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Toronto's capacity to absorb initial blows and respond has characterized their whole postseason. They once again did it without Springer, the injured top-of-the-order hitter who left the third game after tweaking his right side.

Bieber, in contrast, was everything the Blue Jays needed. Traded for mid-season while completing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the former award-winning winner left multiple baserunners and silenced the Los Angeles' potent batting order. He gave up one run on four hits and three walks before Schneider summoned first-year left-hander Fluharty to confront the heart of the order in the sixth inning. Fluharty needed just 4 throws to get out Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a narrow advantage that quickly grew safe.

Converted starting pitcher Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' bats kept to sputter. Los Angeles have produced only 3 runs over their last 20 innings, an sudden slowdown for a club that was among MLB's elite offenses all season.

Closing Moments

The Dodgers managed a score in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman grounded out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Muncy's double put two aboard. But Louis Varland closed it down without permitting a rally to develop.

After a game when Toronto stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after repeated of missed chances, Game 4 was brutally efficient. 6 separate Toronto players collected hits, 5 drove in runs and the squad converted nearly every run-scoring chance available in the late stanzas.

Next Up

The victory ensures the World Series trophy will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not won a championship since Joe Carter's famous game-winning home run in 1993. They now are aware they are guaranteed a packed crowd in Toronto on Friday night – and possibly the next day – no matter what happens next in LA.

The fifth game approaches with the matchup reset and energy shifting north. Dodgers pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Toronto's momentum. The Blue Jays respond with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Blue Jays chased the starter quickly in an decisive victory.