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Only 24 hours following enduring one of the most draining losses in Fall Classic history, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed complete command.

Guerrero crushed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber delivered a steady start as the Blue Jays beat the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, squaring the World Series at two games each and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Canada.

The Blue Jays had passed the early hours of the next day dealing with their marathon third game defeat – equal to the lengthiest World Series contest ever – a loss that denied them the opportunity to lead the matchup and burned through both bullpens. Skipper John Schneider stated later that “the Dodgers took a contest, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad offered convincing evidence.

Initial Action

The Dodgers again struck first. Max Muncy walked in the second, advanced on a single and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the early breakthrough did not shake a Toronto club that topped MLB with 49 come-from-behind victories this year.

They answered immediately in the third. Nathan Lukes lined a one away base hit to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate looking for a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani left a sweeper up and Guerrero sent it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his first long hit of the series and his 7th homer this playoffs – a new team record – restoring the Toronto's advantage after 13 shutout frames and changing the tone of the night.

Ohtani's Performance

That hit also halted Shohei Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 consecutive plate appearances getting on base. The dual-threat phenomenon had smashed two home runs and reached safely a record nine times in the Los Angeles' third game walk-off. But on Tuesday, he started on limited rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the previous extra-inning game.

His pitch speed sat below his seasonal norm and he struggled more as the game progressed. Nonetheless, he displayed flashes of his usual control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and striking out six. He even walked in the first inning to extend his Fall Classic record. But the Blue Jays made him work: six base hits and four earned runs were charged to him in over six innings.

Late Game Surge

The bigger problem for Los Angeles was what followed when Ohtani eventually lost energy.

Varsho opened the seventh with a sharp single to right, and Ernie Clement smashed a two-base hit off the wall to put two on with none out. Dave Roberts had little choice but to remove the starter, who exited to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not complete the inning.

Banda inherited the mess and immediately fell behind. 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 sufficient to knock the pitcher out of the contest. Treinen entered next but also was unable to stop the rally: Bichette and Addison Barger hit RBI base hits through the infield, capping a four-run barrage that extended the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Toronto's ability to absorb early blows and answer has defined their whole postseason. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the hurt leadoff hitter who exited the third game after straining his right side.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was everything the Blue Jays required. Traded for during the summer while completing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the former award-winning winner stranded multiple runners and silenced the Dodgers' potent batting order. He gave up one earned run on four hits and three walks before the manager summoned first-year left-hander Mason Fluharty to face the heart of the order in the sixth. Fluharty required just 4 throws to get out Muncy and Edman, preserving a fragile advantage that soon became safe.

Converted starter Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' offense kept to sputter. Los Angeles have produced only three runs over their last 20 innings, an abrupt slowdown for a club that ranked among MLB's elite lineups all season.

Closing Innings

The Dodgers managed a score in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman hit into an out to score Hernández after a walk and Muncy's two-base hit put two on base. But Louis Varland closed it down without permitting a comeback to build.

After a night when the Blue Jays left a World Series-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after wave upon wave of wasted chances, Game 4 was brutally effective. 6 separate Blue Jays collected hits, five drove in scores and the squad converted almost every run-scoring chance available in the final stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The victory ensures the World Series trophy will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not won a title since Joe Carter's famous walk-off home run in '93. They now know they are guaranteed a packed crowd in Canada on Friday night – and perhaps the next day – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game looms with the matchup reset and momentum shifting to Toronto. Los Angeles pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Blue Jays's momentum. Toronto counter with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Toronto knocked out the starter quickly in an 11-4 victory.