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Less than a day following staggering through one of the most exhausting defeats in Fall Classic annals, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed total command.

Guerrero smashed a two-run homer and Bieber provided a composed start as the Blue Jays beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, tying the World Series at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Canada.

The Blue Jays had spent the early hours of the next day processing their marathon third game defeat – equal to the lengthiest World Series game ever – a defeat that denied them the chance to take the lead in the series and depleted both bullpens. Skipper Schneider stated later that “the Dodgers won a contest, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his team offered emphatic evidence.

Early Action

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

They answered right away in the third inning. Nathan Lukes hit a one away single to centre and Guerrero stepped in looking for a curveball. Ohtani threw a slider up and Guerrero drove it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his first long hit of the World Series and his 7th homer this playoffs – a fresh team record – restoring the Blue Jays's lead after 13 shutout frames and changing the tone of the game.

Shohei's Performance

That swing also halted Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 consecutive plate appearances reaching base. The dual-threat star had smashed two homers and got on base a record nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 walk-off. But on that night, he started on limited rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the previous extra-inning game.

His pitch speed sat below his regular-season norm and he labored more as the game progressed. Nonetheless, he displayed glimpses of his typical control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to continue his World Series record. But the Blue Jays made him work: six base hits and four earned runs were charged to him in six-plus frames.

Seventh Inning Rally

The larger issue for the Dodgers was what followed when he eventually lost energy.

Daulton Varsho started the seventh with a sharp single to right, and Ernie Clement smashed a two-base hit off the wall to put runners on with no outs. Roberts had little choice but to pull Ohtani, who exited to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not finish the escape.

Anthony Banda came into the mess and right away fell behind. Andrés Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before driving in Varsho with a single to left. Ty France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove Banda out of the game. Treinen came in next but also failed to stop the rally: Bichette and Barger punched RBI base hits through the infield, capping a four-run outburst that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Toronto's capacity to withstand initial blows and respond has characterized their whole run. They once again did it without Springer, the injured leadoff hitter who exited the third game after tweaking his oblique.

Bieber, in contrast, was everything Toronto required. Acquired mid-season while completing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the former Cy Young winner stranded multiple runners and quieted the Los Angeles' potent batting order. He gave up one run on four hits and three free passes before the manager called on first-year left-hander Fluharty to confront the heart of the lineup in the sixth inning. He required just four throws to retire Muncy and Edman, protecting a narrow lead that quickly became safe.

Converted starter Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' offense continued to struggle. Los Angeles have produced only 3 runs over their previous 20 innings, an abrupt slowdown for a team that ranked among baseball's elite lineups all year.

Final Innings

The Los Angeles scraped a score in the ninth when Edman hit into an out to score Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's two-base hit put runners aboard. But Louis Varland finished the game without permitting a comeback to develop.

After a night when Toronto left a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after repeated of wasted chances, Game 4 was brutally effective. Six separate Blue Jays collected base hits, 5 brought home runs and the team converted nearly every run-scoring opportunity presented in the late innings.

Next Up

The win ensures the championship trophy will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a championship since Carter's famous game-winning home run in 1993. They now are aware they are guaranteed a packed crowd in Canada on Friday night – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game approaches with the matchup even and energy shifting to Toronto. Los Angeles pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Toronto's surge. Toronto respond with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Blue Jays knocked out Snell quickly in an decisive victory.