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Less than a day following staggering through one of the most exhausting defeats in Fall Classic annals, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed total control.

Guerrero crushed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber provided a composed start as the Blue Jays beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, squaring the Fall Classic at two games each and ensuring the series will head back to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had passed the morning of Tuesday processing their 18-inning Game 3 loss – equal to the longest World Series contest ever – a defeat that cost them the chance to lead the series and burned through both bullpens. Manager Schneider stated later that “the Dodgers took a game, not the World Series”. A day later, his squad provided emphatic proof.

Early Action

The Los Angeles again scored first. Max Muncy walked in the second, advanced on a base hit and scored on Hernández's fly out. But the initial breakthrough did not shake a Blue Jays club that topped Major League Baseball with 49 comeback victories this season.

They answered immediately in the third inning. Nathan Lukes hit a one away single to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate hunting a breaking ball. Ohtani left a slider up and Guerrero sent it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his initial extra-base hit of the World Series and his seventh home run this postseason – a fresh club record – restoring the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 scoreless innings and shifting the tone of the game.

Ohtani's Night

That hit also ended Shohei Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 straight at-bats reaching base. The two-way phenomenon had hit two homers and reached safely a record nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 comeback win. But on that night, he took the mound on limited rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the previous marathon.

Ohtani pitch speed sat under his seasonal average and he labored more as the contest wore on. Nonetheless, he displayed glimpses of his usual command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first to extend his Fall Classic record. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six hits and four earned runs were credited to him in over six innings.

Late Game Rally

The bigger problem for the Dodgers was what came next when he finally ran out of steam.

Varsho opened the seventh with a sharp single to right field, and Ernie Clement drilled a two-base hit off the fence to put two on with no outs. Dave Roberts had no option but to pull the starter, who exited to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Dodgers' bullpen could not finish the escape.

Banda came into the mess and immediately trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez fought to a full count before scoring the runner with a base hit to left. Ty France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock the pitcher out of the game. Treinen entered next but also failed to stem the rally: Bichette and Addison Barger hit run-scoring singles through the diamond, capping a four-score outburst that extended the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Blue Jays's ability to absorb early setbacks and respond has defined their whole postseason. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the hurt leadoff man who left Game 3 after straining his oblique.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was everything the Blue Jays needed. Acquired during the summer while finishing recovery from elbow surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner left multiple runners and silenced the Los Angeles' potent lineup. He allowed one run on four hits and three free passes before Schneider called on first-year left-hander Mason Fluharty to confront the core of the order in the sixth inning. Fluharty required just 4 pitches to get out Muncy and Edman, preserving a fragile lead that quickly became safe.

Former starter Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' offense kept to struggle. The Dodgers have scored only 3 scores over their previous 20 innings, an sudden slowdown for a team that ranked among baseball's elite lineups all season.

Final Moments

The Dodgers managed a run in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman hit into an out to score Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's two-base hit put runners aboard. But Louis Varland closed it down without allowing a comeback to develop.

Following a night when Toronto left a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and collapsed after repeated of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was ruthlessly efficient. Six separate Toronto players collected hits, 5 drove in scores and the team converted almost every scoring chance presented in the late innings.

Next Up

The win guarantees the championship title will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not celebrated a title since Carter's iconic game-winning homer in 1993. They now are aware they are assured a full house in Toronto on Friday night – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what happens next in LA.

Game 5 approaches with the matchup reset and momentum shifting to Toronto. Los Angeles left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Toronto's momentum. Toronto counter with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Toronto knocked out the starter early in an decisive victory.