🔗 Share this article Guerrero Homers against Ohtani as Blue Jays See Off Los Angeles to Tie World Series at 2-2 Only 24 hours after staggering through one of the most draining defeats in World Series annals, the Blue Jays played with complete control. Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run homer and Bieber provided a steady outing as Toronto defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, squaring the World Series at two wins apiece and ensuring the series will return to Toronto. Toronto had passed the early hours of Tuesday processing their 18-inning Game 3 loss – equal to the longest Fall Classic game ever – a loss that cost them the chance to lead the matchup and depleted both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider insisted afterwards that “the Dodgers took a contest, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad provided emphatic evidence. Early Innings The Dodgers again scored first. Max Muncy walked in the second, moved up on a single and scored on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early breakthrough did not rattle a Toronto team that topped Major League Baseball with 49 comeback victories this season. They answered right away in the third inning. Nathan Lukes hit a one-out single to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in hunting a curveball. Shohei 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 club mark – regaining the Blue Jays's lead after 13 scoreless innings and shifting the momentum of the night. Ohtani's Night That swing also ended Shohei Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 straight at-bats getting on base. The two-way phenomenon had smashed two home runs and got on base a record nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 walk-off. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on limited rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the prior marathon. His fastball velocity sat under his seasonal norm and he labored more as the game wore on. Nonetheless, he displayed glimpses of his typical control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and striking out six. He even walked in the first to extend his World Series record. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six base hits and four earned runs were credited to him in six-plus frames. Late Game Surge The bigger issue for the Dodgers was what came next when he eventually lost energy. Daulton Varsho started the seventh inning with a clean hit to right field, 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 complete the escape. Banda inherited the mess and right away fell behind. Andrés Giménez battled to a full count before driving in Varsho with a single to left. France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock the pitcher out of the game. Blake Treinen entered next but also failed to stem the momentum: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger hit RBI 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 respond has defined their whole run. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order man who left Game 3 after tweaking his oblique. Shane Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what the Blue Jays required. Traded for mid-season while finishing 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 base hits and three walks before the manager called on rookie pitcher Fluharty to confront the heart of the order in the sixth inning. He needed just four throws to retire Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a fragile lead that soon grew comfortable. Converted starter Chris Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' bats continued to sputter. The Dodgers have scored only three scores over their last 20 frames, an abrupt downturn for a club that ranked among MLB's elite lineups all year. Closing Innings The Dodgers scraped a score in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman grounded out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's two-base hit put two aboard. But Louis Varland finished the game without permitting a rally to develop. After a night when Toronto stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after repeated of wasted opportunities, Game 4 was ruthlessly effective. Six separate Toronto players collected hits, 5 drove in scores and the team converted nearly every scoring chance presented in the late stanzas. Looking Ahead The victory ensures the World Series title will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not won a title since Joe Carter's iconic walk-off home run in '93. They now are aware they are guaranteed a packed crowd in Toronto on Friday evening – and perhaps the next day – 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 halt the Toronto's momentum. Toronto respond with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Toronto chased Snell quickly in an 11-4 victory.