🔗 Share this article Vladimir Guerrero Jr Homers against Ohtani as Blue Jays Defeat Los Angeles to Tie Series at 2-2 Only 24 hours following enduring one of the most draining losses in World Series history, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed total control. Guerrero smashed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber provided a steady start as the Blue Jays defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, tying the World Series at two games each and ensuring the series will head back to Canada. Toronto had spent the early hours of the next day dealing with their marathon third game defeat – tied for the longest Fall Classic game ever – a loss that cost them the opportunity to lead the matchup and burned through both bullpens. Manager Schneider insisted later that “they took a contest, not the championship”. A day later, his squad provided convincing proof. Initial Action The Los Angeles again scored first. Max Muncy walked in the second, advanced on a single and scored on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early score did not rattle a Blue Jays team that led Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind victories this season. They responded right away in the third. Nathan Lukes lined a one-out base hit to center field and Guerrero stepped in hunting a curveball. Ohtani threw a sweeper up and he sent it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his first long hit of the World Series and his seventh homer this postseason – a fresh team mark – regaining the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 shutout frames and shifting the tone of the game. Shohei's Performance That hit also halted Shohei Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 straight at-bats reaching base. The two-way phenomenon had smashed two homers and got on base a historic nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 comeback win. But on that night, he took the mound on limited rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the prior marathon. Ohtani pitch speed sat under his regular-season norm and he struggled more as the contest wore on. Even so, he showed flashes of his typical command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first to continue his World Series streak. But the Blue Jays made him work: six hits and four runs were charged to him in six-plus frames. Seventh Inning Rally The larger issue for Los Angeles was what followed when he eventually ran out of energy. Daulton Varsho opened the seventh with a clean hit to right, and Ernie Clement drilled a two-base hit off the fence to put runners on with none out. Roberts had little choice but to pull the starter, who exited to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Dodgers' bullpen could not complete the escape. Anthony Banda came into the mess and right away trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez battled to a full count before scoring Varsho with a base hit to left. France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove Banda out of the contest. Treinen entered next but also was unable to stop the momentum: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger hit run-scoring singles through the infield, completing a four-run barrage that pushed the lead to 6-1. Toronto's Resilience The Toronto's capacity to withstand initial setbacks and respond has defined their entire postseason. They once again did it without George Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order hitter who left Game 3 after tweaking his right side. Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what the Blue Jays needed. Traded for mid-season while finishing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the former Cy Young winner left several baserunners and quieted the Los Angeles' potent lineup. He allowed one earned run on four base hits and three walks before Schneider called on rookie left-hander Fluharty to face the core of the order in the sixth. Fluharty needed just four pitches to get out Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a narrow lead that soon became comfortable. Converted starter Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' bats kept to struggle. The Dodgers have scored only three scores over their last 20 frames, an sudden slowdown for a club that ranked among baseball's top lineups all season. Closing Innings The Dodgers scraped a score in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman grounded out to bring home Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's double put two aboard. But Varland closed it down without permitting a comeback to build. Following a game when the Blue Jays left a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and collapsed after wave upon wave of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was ruthlessly efficient. 6 different Toronto players recorded hits, five brought home scores and the team converted nearly every run-scoring opportunity presented in the final stanzas. Next Up The victory guarantees the World Series trophy will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not won a championship since Joe Carter's famous walk-off home run in 1993. They now know they are assured a packed 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 shifting to Toronto. Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Blue Jays's momentum. The Blue Jays counter with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Toronto chased Snell quickly in an decisive victory.