Dodger Stadium was still reverberating from the wild 18-inning marathon that ended just hours earlier when the Toronto Blue Jays took the field again Monday night — weary, but not defeated. Their 3-2 loss in Game 3 felt like the kind of soul-crushing setback that can tilt an entire World Series. But inside the visiting clubhouse, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. made sure his team didn’t see it that way.
“For all its drama, Game 3 was no more important than Game 4,” the slugger reminded his teammates. And then, under the bright Los Angeles lights, Guerrero backed up every word.
Guerrero launched a two-run homer off Shohei Ohtani in the third inning and Shane Bieber outdueled the Dodgers’ two-way megastar on the mound as the Blue Jays stormed back to even the Fall Classic at two games apiece with a crisp 6-2 victory on Tuesday night.
Addison Barger added two hits and an RBI for the American League champions, who rebounded from their crushing extra-inning defeat with focus and fury. Bieber, in his first World Series appearance since returning from Tommy John surgery, held the powerful Dodgers to one run over 5⅓ resilient innings.
The win not only tied the series but also reclaimed home-field advantage for Toronto — guaranteeing the World Series trophy will be won at Rogers Centre. Game 5 is set for Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium before the teams head north for Game 6 on Friday.
After the Dodgers took a 1-0 lead in the second on Kiké Hernández’s sacrifice fly, Guerrero silenced the crowd in the third. With one out, Nathan Lukes singled to center, setting the stage for Guerrero to unload on a misplaced Ohtani breaking ball. The two-run blast soared into the left-center pavilion, ending Toronto’s 13-inning scoring drought and giving the Blue Jays a lead they would never relinquish.
It was Guerrero’s seventh homer of the postseason — a new Blue Jays record — and brought his RBI total to 14, another franchise mark.
“Ohtani’s one of the best pitchers in the world,” Guerrero said afterward. “But I trust my swing, and I trust my team. We weren’t going to let last night beat us twice.”
For Bieber, the Orange County native pitching less than an hour from where he grew up, it was a statement outing. The 2020 AL Cy Young Award winner scattered four hits and three walks, stranding six Dodgers runners while keeping his composure under constant pressure.
“He gave us exactly what we needed,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “A steady hand after a crazy night.”
Lefty Mason Fluharty relieved Bieber in the sixth and stranded two runners, halting the Dodgers’ last real rally before the Blue Jays’ offense blew it open.
After retiring 11 of 12 batters following Guerrero’s homer, Ohtani ran out of gas in the seventh. Daulton Varsho’s single and Ernie Clement’s double chased him from the game. The Blue Jays pounced on the Dodgers’ bullpen: Andrés Giménez drove in a run with a single, Ty France added an RBI groundout, and Bo Bichette and Barger followed with run-scoring hits off Blake Treinen to make it 6-1.
The Dodgers managed a run in the eighth on Mookie Betts’ RBI single, but that was all.
Ohtani’s Game 4 start came less than 18 hours after his historic performance in the 18-inning Game 3 victory, when he reached base nine times and hit four extra-base hits. Despite his fatigue, he gutted out six-plus innings, striking out six but allowing four runs on six hits. His fastball sat at 97.6 mph — slightly below his season average — and his trademark splitter lacked its usual sharpness.
At the plate, Ohtani went 0-for-3 with a walk, striking out twice and finishing the night on deck as the final out was recorded.
“It’s on me,” Ohtani said through an interpreter. “I wanted to give us a chance, but Guerrero got me with one mistake. That changed everything.”
The Dodgers mustered just six hits — only one for extra bases — as their offense failed to capitalize on early opportunities.
The World Series continues Wednesday night with a pivotal Game 5 matchup. Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will face Blue Jays rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when Toronto chased Snell early in an 11-4 blowout.
The winner of Game 5 will head to Toronto needing just one more victory to claim baseball’s ultimate prize.
For now, after one of the most grueling 48-hour stretches in World Series history, the Blue Jays have shown that they are every bit the Dodgers’ equal — resilient, relentless, and one big swing from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. away from taking control of the Fall Classic.
Series tied 2-2. Game 5: Wednesday night, Dodger Stadium.
