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Only 24 hours after staggering through one of the most draining defeats in World Series history, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed total control.

Guerrero smashed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber provided a composed start as Toronto beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, tying the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the matchup will return to Canada.

Toronto had spent the morning of Tuesday processing their marathon Game 3 loss – tied for the lengthiest World Series contest ever – a loss that denied them the chance to take the lead in the series and burned through both relief corps. Manager Schneider stated later that “they took a game, not the championship”. A day later, his team offered emphatic evidence.

Initial Action

The Los Angeles again struck first. Max Muncy walked in the second inning, moved up on a single and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the initial breakthrough did not shake a Blue Jays club that led MLB with 49 come-from-behind victories this year.

They answered right away in the third. Lukes lined a one-out base hit to center field and Guerrero came to the plate looking for a curveball. Shohei Ohtani left a sweeper up and he sent it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his first extra-base hit of the series and his seventh homer this playoffs – a new club record – restoring the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 shutout innings and shifting the momentum of the night.

Shohei's Night

That hit also ended Shohei Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 straight plate appearances getting on base. The dual-threat star had hit two home runs and reached safely a historic nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 comeback win. But on that night, he took the mound on short rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the prior extra-inning game.

His pitch speed was under his seasonal norm and he labored more as the contest progressed. Even so, he displayed flashes of his typical control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and striking out six. He even walked in the first to continue his World Series record. But the Blue Jays made him work: six hits and four runs were credited to him in six-plus frames.

Seventh Inning Surge

The bigger problem for the Dodgers was what followed when he finally lost energy.

Varsho opened the seventh inning with a sharp hit to right, and Clement smashed a two-base hit off the fence to put two on with none out. Dave Roberts had little choice but to pull Ohtani, who exited to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Dodgers' bullpen could not finish the escape.

Anthony Banda inherited the mess and right away fell behind. Andrés Giménez fought to a full count before driving in Varsho 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 enough to remove Banda out of the game. Treinen entered next but also was unable to stem the rally: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger hit RBI singles through the infield, completing a four-run outburst that extended the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Toronto's ability to absorb initial setbacks and respond has characterized their whole run. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order man who left Game 3 after tweaking his right side.

Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what the Blue Jays required. Traded for mid-season while completing rehab from elbow surgery, the former award-winning winner stranded several runners and quieted the Dodgers' potent lineup. He gave up one run on four hits and three free passes before Schneider called on first-year left-hander Fluharty to confront the core of the lineup in the sixth inning. He needed just 4 pitches to retire Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a fragile lead that soon became comfortable.

Converted starting pitcher Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' bats continued to sputter. Los Angeles have scored only three runs over their last 20 innings, an abrupt downturn for a team that was among MLB's elite offenses all year.

Closing Moments

The Dodgers scraped a run in the ninth inning when Edman hit into an out to score Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's two-base hit put two aboard. But Varland closed it down without allowing a comeback to develop.

After a night when Toronto stranded a World Series-record 19 runners and collapsed after repeated of missed opportunities, the fourth contest was ruthlessly efficient. 6 separate Toronto players recorded base hits, five drove in runs and the squad cashed almost every run-scoring chance available in the late innings.

Next Up

The win ensures the World Series title will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not celebrated a championship since Joe Carter's famous game-winning home run in 1993. They now are aware they are assured a full crowd in Canada on Friday night – and perhaps the next day – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game looms with the series even and energy swinging north. Dodgers pitcher Blake 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 repeat of Game 1, when the Blue Jays knocked out Snell quickly in an decisive victory.