🔗 Share this article Vladimir Guerrero Jr Homers off Shohei Ohtani as Blue Jays Defeat Dodgers to Tie World Series at 2-2 Less than a day following staggering through one of the most exhausting losses in Fall Classic annals, the Blue Jays played with total command. Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber provided a composed outing as Toronto defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, squaring the World Series at two wins apiece and ensuring the series will return to Toronto. The Blue Jays had passed the early hours of the next day processing their 18-inning Game 3 loss – tied for the longest World Series game ever – a defeat that denied them the chance to take the lead in the series and depleted both relief corps. Manager Schneider stated later that “they took a game, not the World Series”. A day later, his squad provided emphatic evidence. Early Innings The Dodgers again struck first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second, advanced on a base hit and scored on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the early breakthrough did not shake a Toronto team that topped MLB with 49 comeback victories this season. They answered immediately in the third. Lukes hit a one-out base hit to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate hunting a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani threw a slider up and he sent it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his first extra-base hit of the series and his 7th home run this playoffs – a new club mark – regaining the Toronto's lead after 13 shutout frames and shifting the momentum of the night. Shohei's Night That hit also halted Shohei Ohtani's history-making run of 11 consecutive at-bats reaching base. The two-way phenomenon had hit two homers and reached safely a record nine times in the Los Angeles' third game comeback win. But on Tuesday, he started on limited rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the prior extra-inning game. Ohtani fastball velocity sat under his regular-season norm and he struggled more as the game progressed. Even so, he displayed glimpses of his usual command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and striking out six. He even walked in the first inning to continue his Fall Classic record. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six hits and four runs were charged to him in six-plus innings. Seventh Inning Surge The larger issue for Los Angeles was what came next when Ohtani finally ran out of steam. Daulton Varsho opened the seventh inning with a clean hit to right, and Ernie Clement smashed a two-base hit off the fence to put runners on with none out. Dave Roberts had no option but to pull Ohtani, who departed to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Dodgers' relief corps could not complete the inning. Banda inherited the jam and right away fell behind. Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before driving in Varsho with a single to left field. France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock the pitcher out of the contest. Blake Treinen entered next but also failed to stem the rally: Bichette and Addison Barger punched run-scoring singles through the infield, completing a four-score barrage that extended the margin to 6-1. Toronto's Resilience The Blue Jays's capacity to withstand early blows and answer has defined their entire postseason. They once again did it 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 needed. Traded for mid-season while completing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the ex- award-winning winner stranded multiple runners and quieted the Los Angeles' potent lineup. He gave up one earned run on four base hits and three free passes before Schneider summoned first-year left-hander Fluharty to confront the heart of the lineup in the sixth inning. He needed just 4 throws to get out Max Muncy and Edman, preserving a fragile lead that quickly grew comfortable. Former starter Chris Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' offense kept to sputter. Los Angeles have produced only 3 runs over their previous 20 frames, an sudden downturn for a team that was among MLB's top offenses all year. Final Moments The Los Angeles scraped a run in the ninth inning when Edman hit into an out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's double put two on base. But Louis Varland closed it down without permitting a comeback to develop. Following a night when the Blue Jays left a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and fell apart after wave upon wave of wasted chances, Game 4 was brutally efficient. Six separate Toronto players collected base hits, five drove in runs and the team cashed almost every scoring opportunity presented in the late stanzas. Looking Ahead The victory guarantees the World Series trophy will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not won a title since Joe Carter's iconic game-winning home run in 1993. They now are aware they are guaranteed a full house in Canada on Friday evening – and possibly the next day – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles. Game 5 looms with the series reset and momentum swinging to Toronto. Los Angeles left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Blue Jays's surge. Toronto respond with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Blue Jays chased Snell quickly in an decisive win.