🔗 Share this article Guerrero Homers against Ohtani as Toronto Defeat Dodgers to Level World Series at 2-2 Only 24 hours following enduring one of the most draining losses in Fall Classic history, the Blue Jays displayed total command. Guerrero crushed a two-run homer and Bieber provided a steady outing as Toronto defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, squaring the Fall Classic at two games each and guaranteeing the series will return to Toronto. The Blue Jays had passed the early hours of Tuesday processing their 18-inning Game 3 loss – tied for the lengthiest World Series contest ever – a defeat that cost them the opportunity to take the lead in the series and depleted both relief corps. Manager Schneider insisted afterwards that “they won a game, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad offered emphatic proof. Early Innings The Los Angeles again struck first. Muncy drew a walk in the second, advanced on a single and crossed the plate on Hernández's fly out. But the early score did not rattle a Toronto club that topped Major League Baseball 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 stepped in looking for a curveball. Shohei Ohtani left a sweeper up and Guerrero sent it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his first long hit of the World Series and his seventh home run this postseason – a new club record – regaining the Blue Jays's lead after 13 scoreless frames and shifting the tone of the game. Shohei's Night That hit also ended Shohei Ohtani's history-making run of 11 straight plate appearances getting on base. The two-way star had smashed two homers 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 limited rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the prior marathon. Ohtani fastball velocity sat under his seasonal average and he labored more as the contest wore on. Nonetheless, he showed glimpses of his typical control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first to extend his World Series record. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six hits and four runs were charged to him in six-plus frames. Seventh Inning Surge The larger problem for the Dodgers was what came next when Ohtani eventually lost steam. Varsho started the seventh with a clean single to right field, 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 exited to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Dodgers' relief corps could not complete the escape. Anthony Banda inherited the mess and right away fell behind. Giménez fought to a full count before scoring Varsho with a single to left. Ty France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock Banda out of the game. Treinen came in next but also was unable to stop the rally: Bichette and Barger punched run-scoring singles through the diamond, completing a four-run barrage that pushed the margin to 6-1. Toronto's Toughness The Blue Jays's ability to withstand early setbacks and answer has defined their whole postseason. They once again did it without Springer, the injured top-of-the-order hitter who exited Game 3 after straining his oblique. Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what the Blue Jays needed. Traded for mid-season while completing rehab from elbow surgery, the former award-winning winner left multiple baserunners and silenced the Dodgers' dangerous lineup. He allowed one earned run on four base hits and three free passes before Schneider called on rookie left-hander Mason Fluharty to confront the core of the order in the sixth. He needed just 4 throws to retire Max Muncy and Edman, preserving a narrow advantage that quickly became comfortable. Converted starter Chris Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' offense continued to struggle. Los Angeles have scored only 3 scores over their last 20 frames, an abrupt downturn for a team that was among MLB's elite offenses all season. Closing Innings The Dodgers managed a run in the ninth when Tommy Edman hit into an out to score Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's two-base hit put runners on base. But Varland closed it down without permitting a rally to develop. Following a game when the Blue Jays left a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and collapsed after repeated of missed opportunities, the fourth contest was ruthlessly effective. Six separate Blue Jays collected hits, five drove in scores and the squad converted nearly every scoring opportunity available in the final stanzas. Next Up The victory ensures the championship title will be presented at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not won a title since Carter's iconic walk-off home run in '93. They now are aware they are guaranteed a packed house in Toronto on Friday evening – and possibly Saturday – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles. Game 5 looms with the matchup even and energy shifting north. Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Toronto's momentum. Toronto counter with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Toronto knocked out the starter early in an decisive win.