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

Guerrero smashed a two-run homer and Bieber delivered a steady outing as the Blue Jays beat the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, tying the Fall Classic at two games each and guaranteeing the series will head back to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had spent the morning of Tuesday processing their 18-inning third game defeat – tied for the longest World Series game ever – a loss that cost them the opportunity to lead the series and burned through both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider insisted later that “the Dodgers won a game, not the World Series”. A day later, his team offered convincing evidence.

Initial Action

The Dodgers again scored first. Muncy walked in the second, advanced on a single and crossed the plate on Hernández's fly out. But the early score did not shake a Toronto club that topped MLB with 49 comeback victories this season.

They responded immediately in the third. Lukes hit a one-out base hit to centre and Guerrero stepped in hunting a curveball. Shohei Ohtani left a slider up and he drove it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his first long hit of the series and his seventh homer this playoffs – a new club record – regaining the Toronto's advantage after 13 shutout frames and changing the momentum of the game.

Ohtani's Performance

That swing also ended Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 consecutive plate appearances getting on base. The two-way phenomenon had smashed two home runs and reached safely a record nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 comeback win. But on that night, he started on short rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the prior extra-inning game.

His pitch speed was under his regular-season norm and he struggled more as the game wore on. Nonetheless, he displayed flashes of his usual control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to extend his World Series streak. But the Blue Jays made him work: six base hits and four earned runs were credited to him in over six innings.

Seventh Inning Rally

The larger issue for Los Angeles was what came next when he eventually ran out of steam.

Varsho opened the seventh inning with a sharp hit to right field, and Ernie Clement drilled a double off the wall to put two on with no outs. Roberts had little choice but to remove the starter, who departed to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Dodgers' bullpen could not finish the escape.

Banda came into the mess and right away trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez fought to a full count before driving in Varsho with a single to left field. France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock Banda out of the contest. Treinen came in next but also was unable to stop the momentum: Bichette and Addison Barger punched run-scoring singles through the diamond, completing a four-score barrage that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Blue Jays's ability to absorb early blows and answer has defined their entire run. They once again succeeded without Springer, the injured top-of-the-order man who left the third game after straining his right side.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was everything Toronto required. Traded for during the summer while finishing recovery from elbow surgery, the ex- award-winning winner left multiple baserunners and silenced the Dodgers' potent batting order. He allowed one run on four base hits and three free passes before Schneider called on first-year left-hander Fluharty to confront the heart of the order in the sixth inning. He required just four pitches to get out Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a narrow advantage that soon grew safe.

Converted starter Chris Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' bats continued to struggle. The Dodgers have scored only 3 scores over their previous 20 frames, an abrupt downturn for a club that ranked among baseball's elite lineups all season.

Final Innings

The Los Angeles managed a score in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman hit into an out to score Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's double put runners on base. But Louis Varland closed it down without permitting a rally to develop.

After a night when the Blue Jays stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after repeated of missed opportunities, Game 4 was brutally effective. Six separate Toronto players recorded hits, 5 brought home runs and the team cashed nearly every run-scoring opportunity available in the final innings.

Looking Ahead

The victory ensures the championship trophy will be presented at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not won a title since Carter's iconic walk-off homer in 1993. They now know they are guaranteed a packed crowd in Canada on Friday evening – and possibly the next day – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 looms with the matchup reset and energy shifting north. Los Angeles left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Blue Jays's momentum. Toronto counter with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Toronto chased Snell early in an decisive win.