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Less than a day after staggering through one of the most exhausting defeats in World Series annals, the Toronto Blue Jays played with complete control.

Guerrero crushed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber provided a steady outing as Toronto beat the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, squaring the World Series at two wins apiece and ensuring the series will head back to Canada.

Toronto had spent the morning of Tuesday dealing with their 18-inning Game 3 loss – tied for the longest World Series game ever – a loss that cost them the chance to take the lead in the matchup and depleted both bullpens. Skipper Schneider insisted afterwards that “the Dodgers took a game, not the championship”. A day later, his squad provided emphatic proof.

Early Action

The Los Angeles again scored first. Muncy drew a walk in the second, advanced on a base hit and scored on Hernández's fly out. But the initial score did not shake a Toronto team that led MLB with 49 come-from-behind wins this year.

They answered right away in the third inning. Lukes hit a one-out single to centre and Guerrero stepped in hunting a curveball. Shohei Ohtani left a sweeper up and Guerrero drove it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his initial extra-base hit of the series and his seventh homer this postseason – a new club record – restoring the Blue Jays's lead after 13 shutout frames and changing the momentum of the night.

Shohei's Performance

That hit also halted Shohei Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 straight at-bats getting on base. The dual-threat star had hit two home runs and got on base a record nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 comeback win. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on limited rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the prior extra-inning game.

Ohtani pitch speed sat below his seasonal average and he struggled more as the contest progressed. Even so, he displayed flashes of his usual control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and fanning six. He even walked in the first to continue his World Series streak. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six hits and four runs were credited to him in over six innings.

Late Game Surge

The larger issue for Los Angeles was what followed when Ohtani eventually ran out of steam.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh with a clean single to right, and Clement drilled a double off the wall to put two on with no outs. Dave Roberts had little choice but to remove Ohtani, who exited to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not complete the escape.

Anthony Banda inherited the jam and immediately trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before scoring the runner with a single to left field. Ty France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock the pitcher out of the contest. Treinen came in next but also was unable to stop the momentum: Bo Bichette and Barger punched run-scoring base hits through the diamond, completing a four-run outburst that extended the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Blue Jays's ability to absorb initial blows and respond has defined their entire run. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the injured top-of-the-order man who left Game 3 after tweaking his right side.

Bieber, in contrast, was everything the Blue Jays required. Acquired mid-season while finishing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner left several baserunners and silenced the Dodgers' dangerous lineup. He allowed one earned run on four base hits and three free passes before the manager summoned rookie pitcher Mason Fluharty to confront the heart of the lineup in the sixth. He needed just 4 throws to retire Max Muncy and Edman, protecting a fragile advantage that quickly became comfortable.

Former starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' offense kept to struggle. The Dodgers have scored only 3 scores over their last 20 frames, an abrupt downturn for a team that was among MLB's top lineups all year.

Closing Moments

The Los Angeles scraped a score in the ninth when Tommy Edman hit into an out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Muncy's two-base hit put two aboard. But Varland closed it down without allowing a comeback to develop.

Following a game when the Blue Jays stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and fell apart after repeated of missed opportunities, Game 4 was brutally efficient. 6 different Toronto players recorded base hits, five drove in scores and the team converted nearly every run-scoring chance presented in the late innings.

Looking Ahead

The win ensures the championship title will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not won a title since Carter's iconic game-winning homer in 1993. They now know they are guaranteed 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 series even and energy shifting north. Los Angeles pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Blue Jays's surge. The Blue Jays respond with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Blue Jays chased the starter early in an 11-4 victory.