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Only 24 hours after enduring one of the most exhausting defeats in Fall Classic history, the Blue Jays played with total command.

Guerrero smashed a two-run home run and Bieber provided a steady start as Toronto defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, squaring the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the series will head back to Canada.

The Blue Jays had spent the morning of the next day dealing with their 18-inning Game 3 loss – tied for the lengthiest Fall Classic game ever – a defeat that denied them the chance to take the lead in the series and depleted both relief corps. Manager John Schneider insisted later that “they took a game, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his team provided convincing proof.

Initial Action

The Los Angeles again struck first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second, moved up on a single and scored on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the initial breakthrough did not rattle a Blue Jays club that topped MLB with 49 comeback victories this season.

They answered immediately in the third inning. Nathan Lukes hit a one-out single to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate hunting a curveball. Ohtani left a sweeper up and Guerrero sent it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his initial long hit of the series and his seventh homer this playoffs – a new club mark – regaining the Toronto's lead after 13 shutout frames and shifting the tone of the night.

Ohtani's Performance

That hit also ended Shohei Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 consecutive at-bats reaching base. The two-way phenomenon had hit two home runs and reached safely a record nine times in the Los Angeles' third game comeback win. But on that night, he took the mound on limited rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the prior marathon.

Ohtani pitch speed sat under his regular-season average and he labored more as the contest wore on. Even so, he displayed glimpses of his usual control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first to extend his Fall Classic streak. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six base hits and four earned runs were charged to him in six-plus innings.

Late Game Rally

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

Varsho opened the seventh with a sharp single to right, and Clement smashed a double 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 home crowd. The Dodgers' bullpen could not complete the inning.

Banda came into the mess and immediately trailed in the count. Giménez fought to a full count before driving in the runner with a single to left field. France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove the pitcher out of the contest. Treinen came in next but also failed to stop the rally: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger hit RBI singles through the diamond, completing a four-score barrage that extended the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Blue Jays's capacity to withstand early setbacks and respond has defined their whole postseason. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the injured leadoff hitter who exited Game 3 after straining his right side.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was everything the Blue Jays needed. Acquired during the summer while finishing rehab from elbow surgery, the former Cy Young winner stranded several baserunners and silenced the Los Angeles' dangerous batting order. He allowed one run on four base hits and three free passes before the manager summoned rookie left-hander Fluharty to confront the heart of the order in the sixth. He needed just 4 pitches to retire Muncy and Edman, preserving a narrow lead that soon became safe.

Converted starter Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' offense kept to struggle. Los Angeles have scored only 3 scores over their previous 20 frames, an abrupt downturn for a team that was among baseball's elite offenses all year.

Final Moments

The Los Angeles scraped a score in the ninth inning when Edman grounded out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's double put two aboard. But Louis Varland closed it down without permitting a rally to build.

After a night when Toronto stranded a World Series-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after wave upon wave of wasted chances, the fourth contest was ruthlessly effective. 6 separate Toronto players recorded base hits, 5 drove in scores and the team converted almost every run-scoring opportunity available in the late innings.

Next Up

The win guarantees the championship title will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not won a title since Carter's iconic game-winning home run in '93. They now are aware they are guaranteed a full crowd in Toronto on Friday evening – and possibly Saturday – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 approaches with the matchup even and energy shifting north. Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try 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 Toronto knocked out Snell quickly in an decisive victory.