🔗 Share this article Guerrero Blasts against Ohtani as Blue Jays Defeat Los Angeles to Tie World Series at 2-2 Only 24 hours after staggering through one of the most exhausting losses in Fall Classic annals, the Blue Jays played with total control. Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run homer and Bieber delivered a steady start as Toronto beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, tying the World Series at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Canada. The Blue Jays had spent the early hours of the next day dealing with their marathon Game 3 loss – equal to the lengthiest Fall Classic contest ever – a defeat that denied them the chance to lead the matchup and depleted both bullpens. Manager Schneider insisted later that “the Dodgers took a game, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad offered convincing evidence. Early Action The Dodgers again struck first. Muncy drew a walk in the second, advanced on a single and scored on Hernández's fly out. But the early breakthrough did not rattle a Blue Jays team that led Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind victories this year. They responded right away in the third. Lukes lined a one-out single to center field and Guerrero came to the plate looking for a curveball. Shohei Ohtani left a slider up and he sent it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his first long hit of the World Series and his 7th homer this postseason – a new team record – restoring the Blue Jays's lead after 13 scoreless innings and changing the tone of the game. Shohei's Night That swing also halted Shohei Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 consecutive plate appearances reaching base. The two-way star had smashed two home runs and got on base a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' third game comeback win. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on short rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the prior extra-inning game. Ohtani pitch speed sat below his regular-season norm and he struggled more as the contest progressed. Nonetheless, he displayed glimpses of his typical control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to continue his Fall Classic streak. But the Toronto made him work: six base hits and four runs were charged to him in six-plus frames. Late Game Rally The bigger issue for the Dodgers was what followed when Ohtani eventually lost energy. Daulton Varsho opened the seventh inning with a clean single 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 remove the starter, who departed to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Dodgers' relief corps could not finish the inning. Banda came into the jam and immediately trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez fought to a full count before driving in Varsho with a base hit to left field. France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock Banda out of the contest. Treinen came in next but also was unable to stop the momentum: Bichette and Barger punched RBI singles through the diamond, capping a four-run outburst that pushed the lead to 6-1. Blue Jays's Toughness The Blue Jays's ability to withstand initial setbacks and answer has characterized their entire postseason. They once again succeeded without Springer, the injured leadoff hitter who left Game 3 after tweaking his oblique. Shane Bieber, in contrast, was everything Toronto required. Acquired mid-season while finishing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the ex- award-winning winner stranded several baserunners and silenced the Los Angeles' dangerous batting order. He allowed one run on four hits and three free passes before the manager summoned first-year left-hander Mason Fluharty to face the heart of the order in the sixth. Fluharty needed just 4 pitches to get out Max Muncy and Edman, preserving a narrow advantage that soon became comfortable. Former starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' bats kept to sputter. Los Angeles have scored only three runs over their previous 20 innings, an abrupt slowdown for a team that ranked among MLB's elite lineups all year. Closing Innings The Dodgers scraped a score in the ninth inning when Edman grounded out to bring home Hernández after a walk and Muncy's two-base hit put runners on base. But Varland finished the game without allowing a comeback to develop. Following a night when the Blue Jays stranded a World Series-record 19 runners and fell apart after repeated of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was ruthlessly efficient. 6 separate Blue Jays collected hits, five drove in runs and the squad cashed nearly every run-scoring chance presented in the final innings. Looking Ahead The victory ensures the World Series trophy will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a title since Carter's iconic walk-off home run in '93. They now know they are assured a full crowd in Toronto on Friday evening – and possibly Saturday – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles. Game 5 approaches with the series reset and energy swinging north. Los Angeles left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Toronto's momentum. The Blue Jays respond with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Blue Jays chased the starter quickly in an 11-4 victory.