🔗 Share this article Guerrero Homers 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 World Series history, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed total control. Guerrero crushed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber provided a composed start as the Blue Jays beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, squaring the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the series will return to Toronto. Toronto had spent the morning of Tuesday processing their 18-inning third game defeat – tied for the lengthiest Fall Classic contest ever – a defeat that denied them the opportunity to lead the matchup and depleted both relief corps. Manager John Schneider insisted afterwards that “the Dodgers took a game, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his team offered convincing evidence. Early Action 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 initial breakthrough did not rattle a Toronto club that led MLB with 49 comeback wins this season. They answered immediately in the third inning. Lukes hit a one-out single to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate hunting a curveball. Shohei Ohtani left a slider up and he sent it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his first extra-base hit of the series and his seventh homer this postseason – a fresh club mark – restoring the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 scoreless frames and changing the tone of the night. Shohei's Performance That hit also halted Ohtani's history-making run of 11 consecutive at-bats reaching base. The two-way star had smashed two homers and reached safely a historic nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 comeback win. But on that night, he started on short rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the prior extra-inning game. His pitch speed sat below his regular-season average and he labored more as the contest progressed. Even so, he showed glimpses of his usual command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to continue his World Series streak. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six hits and four earned runs were credited to him in over six innings. Seventh Inning Rally The larger issue for the Dodgers was what came next when Ohtani eventually lost steam. Daulton Varsho opened the seventh inning with a sharp hit to right, and Clement smashed a two-base hit off the fence to put runners on with no outs. Dave Roberts had little choice but to remove Ohtani, who exited to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not complete the inning. Banda came into the jam and immediately trailed in the count. Giménez fought to a full count before scoring the runner with a base hit to left field. Ty France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock the pitcher out of the game. Blake Treinen came in next but also failed to stem the momentum: Bichette and Addison Barger hit run-scoring singles through the infield, capping a four-run outburst that extended the lead to 6-1. Blue Jays's Toughness The Blue Jays's ability to absorb initial setbacks and respond has defined their whole run. They once again did it without George Springer, the injured top-of-the-order hitter who exited Game 3 after straining his right side. Bieber, meanwhile, was everything the Blue Jays needed. Acquired during the summer while finishing rehab from elbow surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner stranded several runners and quieted the Dodgers' dangerous lineup. He allowed one run on four hits and three walks before the manager called on rookie left-hander Fluharty to face the heart of the lineup in the sixth inning. He required just four throws to retire Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a fragile lead that quickly grew safe. Former starter Chris Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' bats continued to struggle. The Dodgers have scored only 3 scores over their previous 20 innings, an sudden downturn for a team that ranked among MLB's elite offenses all season. Closing Innings The Los Angeles scraped a score in the ninth inning when Edman hit into an out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's two-base hit put two aboard. But Varland finished the game without permitting a rally to build. Following a game when Toronto left a World Series-record 19 runners and fell apart after repeated of wasted chances, the fourth contest was brutally effective. Six separate Toronto players collected base hits, five drove in runs and the team cashed almost every scoring chance available in the final innings. Next Up The victory guarantees the championship title will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not won a championship since Carter's iconic walk-off home run in 1993. They now are aware they are assured a packed house in Canada on Friday evening – and possibly Saturday – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles. Game 5 approaches with the series even and momentum swinging north. Los Angeles left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Blue Jays's surge. The Blue Jays respond with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Toronto knocked out the starter early in an 11-4 win.