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Only 24 hours following staggering through one of the most draining defeats in Fall Classic annals, the Blue Jays played with total control.

Guerrero smashed a two-run homer and Bieber provided a steady start as Toronto defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, tying the World Series at two wins apiece and ensuring the series will head back to Canada.

Toronto had spent the early hours of the next day processing their 18-inning third game defeat – tied for the longest Fall Classic contest ever – a loss that cost them the chance to take the lead in the matchup and depleted both bullpens. Skipper Schneider stated afterwards that “the Dodgers took a contest, not the World Series”. A day later, his team offered emphatic evidence.

Early Action

The Los Angeles again struck first. Muncy walked in the second, moved up on a base hit and crossed the plate on Hernández's fly out. But the early breakthrough did not shake a Toronto club that topped MLB with 49 comeback victories this year.

They responded immediately in the third inning. Lukes hit a one-out single to center field and Guerrero stepped in looking for a curveball. Shohei Ohtani left a sweeper up and he sent it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his initial long hit of the World Series and his seventh homer this postseason – a new club mark – regaining the Blue Jays's lead after 13 scoreless innings and shifting the momentum of the night.

Shohei's Night

That hit also ended Shohei Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 consecutive plate appearances getting on base. The dual-threat star had hit two homers and got on base a record nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 walk-off. But on that night, he took the mound on short rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the prior extra-inning game.

His fastball velocity sat under his regular-season average and he labored more as the game progressed. Even so, he displayed flashes of his typical command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to extend his Fall Classic streak. But the Toronto made him work: six hits and four earned runs were charged to him in six-plus frames.

Seventh Inning Surge

The larger problem for Los Angeles was what came next when he eventually lost steam.

Varsho opened the seventh with a sharp hit to right, and Ernie Clement drilled a two-base hit off the fence to put two on with no outs. 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 jam and immediately trailed in the count. Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before scoring the runner with a single to left. France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove Banda out of the contest. Blake Treinen came in next but also failed to stem the rally: Bichette and Addison Barger punched run-scoring singles through the infield, completing a four-run barrage that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Blue Jays's ability to withstand early setbacks and answer has defined their entire postseason. They once again did it without George Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order hitter who left Game 3 after straining his right side.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was everything Toronto required. Acquired during the summer while completing rehab from elbow surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner stranded multiple runners and silenced the Dodgers' dangerous lineup. He gave up one run on four hits and three walks before the manager called on first-year pitcher Fluharty to confront the heart of the lineup in the sixth inning. Fluharty required just four pitches to get out Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a narrow lead that soon became safe.

Former starter Chris Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' bats continued to struggle. The Dodgers have produced only 3 scores over their previous 20 innings, an sudden downturn for a team that ranked among MLB's top lineups all year.

Closing Innings

The Dodgers scraped a run in the ninth when Edman hit into an out to score Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's double put runners on base. But Varland closed it down without allowing a rally to build.

After a game when Toronto stranded a World Series-record 19 runners and collapsed after wave upon wave of missed opportunities, Game 4 was brutally effective. Six different Blue Jays collected hits, five brought home scores and the squad converted nearly every run-scoring chance available in the late stanzas.

Next Up

The victory guarantees the World Series title will be presented at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not won a title since Joe Carter's famous game-winning homer in '93. They now know they are assured a full crowd in Toronto on Friday night – and perhaps the next day – no matter what occurs next in LA.

Game 5 approaches with the matchup reset and energy swinging north. Dodgers pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Toronto's surge. The Blue Jays respond with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Toronto chased Snell early in an 11-4 win.