🔗 Share this article Guerrero Blasts against Shohei Ohtani as Blue Jays See Off Los Angeles to Level World Series at 2-2 Only 24 hours after staggering through one of the most draining defeats in Fall Classic history, the Blue Jays played with total control. Guerrero smashed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber provided a steady start as the Blue Jays beat the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, tying the World Series at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Toronto. The Blue Jays had passed the early hours of Tuesday processing their 18-inning third game defeat – tied for the longest Fall Classic game ever – a loss that cost them the chance to take the lead in the matchup and burned through both bullpens. Manager Schneider insisted afterwards that “they took a game, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his team provided emphatic evidence. Initial Action The Dodgers again scored first. Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, moved up on a single and crossed the plate on Hernández's fly out. But the initial breakthrough did not rattle a Toronto club that led Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind victories this year. They responded right away in the third. Nathan Lukes lined a one-out single to centre and Guerrero stepped in hunting a curveball. Ohtani threw 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 homer this playoffs – a fresh team record – regaining the Blue Jays's lead after 13 scoreless innings and shifting the tone of the night. Ohtani's Night That hit also ended Shohei Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 straight at-bats reaching base. The two-way phenomenon had smashed two home runs and got on base a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' third game walk-off. But on that night, he started on limited rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the prior marathon. His fastball velocity was under his regular-season average and he struggled more as the contest wore on. Even so, he displayed flashes of his usual control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first to extend his World Series streak. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six base hits and four runs were charged to him in over six innings. Late Game Rally The larger issue for Los Angeles was what followed when Ohtani eventually lost steam. Daulton Varsho started the seventh inning with a sharp hit to right, and Ernie Clement smashed a double off the fence to put runners on with no outs. Dave Roberts had no option but to remove the starter, who departed to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Dodgers' relief corps could not complete the inning. Anthony Banda came into the jam and immediately fell behind. Andrés Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before scoring Varsho with a single to left field. Ty France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove Banda out of the game. Blake Treinen entered next but also failed to stem the momentum: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger punched RBI singles through the infield, completing a four-score outburst that extended the lead to 6-1. Toronto's Resilience The Blue Jays's ability to withstand initial setbacks and answer has characterized their entire run. They once again did it without George Springer, the injured leadoff man who exited the third game after straining his right side. Bieber, in contrast, was everything Toronto needed. Traded for mid-season while completing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the former award-winning winner left several runners and quieted the Los Angeles' potent batting order. He gave up one earned run on four hits and three free passes before the manager summoned first-year pitcher Mason Fluharty to confront the heart of the order in the sixth inning. Fluharty required just 4 pitches to get out Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a fragile lead that soon grew safe. Former starter Chris Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' bats kept to struggle. Los Angeles have produced only three scores over their last 20 frames, an abrupt downturn for a team that was among MLB's elite offenses all year. Final Moments The Dodgers managed a run in the ninth inning when Edman grounded out to score Hernández after a walk and Muncy's two-base hit put runners aboard. But Varland finished the game without permitting a rally to build. After a night when the Blue Jays left a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and collapsed after repeated of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was brutally effective. 6 different Blue Jays recorded hits, 5 drove in scores and the team converted almost every scoring opportunity presented in the late stanzas. Looking Ahead The victory guarantees the championship title will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not won a championship since Carter's famous walk-off home run in '93. They now know they are assured a packed crowd in Canada on Friday night – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what occurs next in LA. Game 5 looms with the matchup even and energy swinging north. Los Angeles pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Toronto's surge. The Blue Jays counter with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Toronto knocked out the starter early in an 11-4 victory.