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

Guerrero crushed a two-run homer and Bieber delivered a steady outing as Toronto beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, tying the World Series at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the matchup will return to Canada.

Toronto had spent the early hours of the next day processing their marathon third game defeat – equal to the longest Fall Classic game ever – a defeat that cost them the opportunity to take the lead in the matchup and burned through both relief corps. Manager Schneider insisted later that “they took a contest, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad offered emphatic proof.

Initial Innings

The Dodgers again scored first. Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, advanced on a single and scored on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the initial score did not rattle a Blue Jays team that led Major League Baseball with 49 comeback wins this season.

They responded right away in the third inning. Nathan Lukes hit a one-out single to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate hunting a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani threw a sweeper up and Guerrero sent it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his first extra-base hit of the series and his seventh home run this playoffs – a fresh club mark – regaining the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 scoreless innings and shifting the tone of the game.

Shohei's Night

That swing also halted Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 straight plate appearances getting on base. The two-way phenomenon had smashed two home runs and reached safely a record nine times in the Dodgers' third game walk-off. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on short rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the previous marathon.

Ohtani fastball velocity was below his regular-season norm and he struggled more as the contest wore on. Nonetheless, he showed glimpses of his typical command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first to extend his World Series streak. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six hits and four runs were charged to him in over six innings.

Late Game Rally

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

Varsho started the seventh inning with a sharp hit to right field, and Ernie Clement drilled a two-base hit off the fence to put two on with none out. Roberts had little choice but to remove the starter, who exited to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not finish the inning.

Anthony Banda came into the jam and immediately fell behind. Giménez battled to a full count before scoring Varsho with a single to left. Ty France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock the pitcher out of the contest. Treinen entered next but also failed to stop the momentum: Bichette and Barger hit run-scoring singles through the infield, completing a four-run barrage that extended the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

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

Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what the Blue Jays required. Traded for mid-season while finishing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the former award-winning winner left multiple baserunners and quieted the Los Angeles' potent lineup. He gave up one earned run on four base hits and three free passes before the manager called on first-year pitcher Mason Fluharty to face the heart of the order in the sixth inning. Fluharty required just four throws to retire Max Muncy and Edman, protecting a narrow advantage that quickly became comfortable.

Former starter Chris Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' bats continued to struggle. The Dodgers have scored only three runs over their last 20 frames, an sudden downturn for a club that was among MLB's top lineups all year.

Final Moments

The Dodgers scraped a run in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman grounded out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's double put two on base. But Louis Varland closed it down without permitting a comeback to develop.

After a night when the Blue Jays left a World Series-record 19 runners and collapsed after repeated of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was ruthlessly efficient. 6 different Toronto players collected hits, five brought home runs and the team converted nearly every run-scoring opportunity available in the late stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The victory ensures the championship title will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not won a title since Carter's famous game-winning home run in 1993. They now are aware they are assured a full crowd in Toronto on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what occurs next in LA.

The fifth game approaches with the series even and energy shifting to Toronto. Los Angeles left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Blue Jays's surge. Toronto counter with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Toronto chased the starter quickly in an 11-4 win.