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Only 24 hours after enduring one of the most exhausting losses in World Series annals, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed complete command.

Guerrero smashed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber delivered a steady start as the Blue Jays defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, tying the World Series at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the series will return to Toronto.

Toronto had passed the early hours of the next day processing their marathon Game 3 loss – tied for the lengthiest Fall Classic game ever – a loss that cost them the chance to lead the series and burned through both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider stated afterwards that “the Dodgers took a contest, not the World Series”. A day later, his squad provided emphatic proof.

Early Innings

The Los Angeles again struck first. Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, moved up on a base hit and scored on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial breakthrough did not shake a Toronto club that topped Major League Baseball with 49 comeback wins this season.

They answered 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. Ohtani left a sweeper up and he drove it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his initial long hit of the World Series and his 7th homer this playoffs – a new club record – regaining the Toronto's lead after 13 shutout innings and changing the momentum of the game.

Ohtani's Night

That hit also ended Shohei Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 straight at-bats getting on base. The two-way phenomenon had hit two home runs and reached safely a record nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 comeback win. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on short rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the prior marathon.

His fastball velocity was below his seasonal norm and he struggled more as the contest wore on. Even so, he showed flashes of his typical control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and fanning six. He even walked in the first to continue his World Series record. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six base hits and four runs were charged to him in six-plus frames.

Late Game Surge

The bigger issue for the Dodgers was what followed when Ohtani eventually lost steam.

Varsho started the seventh inning with a clean single to right, and Clement drilled a two-base hit off the wall to put two on with no outs. Dave Roberts had no option but to remove the starter, who exited to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Dodgers' relief corps could not complete the inning.

Anthony Banda came into the jam and right away trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez fought to a full count before driving in Varsho with a single to left. Ty France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock Banda out of the contest. Blake Treinen entered next but also was unable to stem the rally: Bichette and Barger punched RBI base hits through the diamond, capping a four-run outburst that extended the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Blue Jays's ability to withstand initial setbacks and answer has defined their entire postseason. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the hurt leadoff man who left the third game after straining his right side.

Bieber, in contrast, was everything Toronto needed. Acquired during the summer while completing recovery from elbow surgery, the former award-winning winner left several baserunners and silenced the Dodgers' potent batting order. He allowed one earned run on four hits and three free passes before Schneider summoned rookie left-hander Mason Fluharty to confront the heart of the order in the sixth inning. Fluharty required just 4 pitches to get out Muncy and Edman, protecting a fragile advantage that soon grew safe.

Former starting pitcher Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' bats kept to struggle. The Dodgers have scored only 3 runs over their last 20 frames, an abrupt downturn for a club that was among baseball's elite lineups all year.

Closing Moments

The Los Angeles managed a run in the ninth inning when 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.

After a game when Toronto stranded a World Series-record 19 runners and fell apart after wave upon wave of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was ruthlessly effective. 6 separate Blue Jays collected base hits, 5 drove in runs and the squad cashed almost every scoring opportunity presented in the late stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The victory guarantees the World Series trophy will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not won a championship since Joe Carter's famous game-winning home run in '93. They now know they are guaranteed a full crowd in Canada on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 looms with the matchup reset and momentum swinging north. Dodgers pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Toronto's momentum. Toronto respond with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Blue Jays chased Snell early in an decisive victory.