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Only 24 hours following enduring one of the most exhausting defeats in World Series annals, the Blue Jays played with total control.

Guerrero smashed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber delivered a composed outing as Toronto defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, tying the World Series at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the series will return to Canada.

Toronto had spent the morning of the next day processing their 18-inning third game defeat – tied for the longest Fall Classic game ever – a loss that denied them the opportunity to take the lead in the series and depleted both relief corps. Skipper Schneider stated later that “the Dodgers won a contest, not the World Series”. A day later, his squad offered convincing proof.

Initial Action

The Los Angeles again struck first. Muncy drew a walk in the second, advanced on a base hit and scored on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the early breakthrough did not rattle a Toronto team that topped MLB with 49 comeback wins this year.

They answered right away in the third inning. Nathan Lukes hit a one-out base hit to centre and Guerrero stepped in looking for a curveball. Ohtani left a slider up and he drove it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his first long hit of the series and his 7th home run this postseason – a fresh club record – regaining the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 shutout frames and shifting the tone of the night.

Ohtani's Night

That hit also ended Ohtani's history-making run of 11 consecutive plate appearances getting on base. The two-way star had smashed two homers and reached safely a historic nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 walk-off. But on Tuesday, he started on limited rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the previous marathon.

Ohtani pitch speed was under his regular-season norm and he struggled more as the game wore on. Nonetheless, he showed glimpses of his usual control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to extend his World Series record. But the Toronto made him work: six base hits and four earned runs were charged to him in six-plus frames.

Seventh Inning Surge

The larger problem for the Dodgers was what followed when he eventually ran out of steam.

Varsho opened the seventh with a sharp single to right field, and Ernie Clement drilled a double off the wall to put two on with none out. Roberts had little choice but to remove Ohtani, who departed to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Dodgers' bullpen could not complete the escape.

Banda came into the jam and right away fell behind. Andrés Giménez battled to a full count before scoring the runner with a base hit to left field. Ty France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove Banda out of the contest. Blake Treinen entered next but also was unable to stop the rally: Bichette and Barger hit run-scoring base hits through the infield, completing a four-run barrage that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Blue Jays's capacity to withstand initial setbacks and respond has defined their entire run. They once again did it without Springer, the hurt leadoff man who exited Game 3 after straining his right side.

Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what the Blue Jays needed. Acquired mid-season while completing rehab from elbow surgery, the former Cy Young winner left multiple baserunners and silenced the Los Angeles' dangerous batting order. He allowed one earned run on four hits and three walks before the manager summoned rookie left-hander Mason Fluharty to face the heart of the order in the sixth. He needed just 4 throws to retire Max Muncy and Edman, preserving a fragile advantage that soon became safe.

Former starter Chris Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' offense continued to sputter. The Dodgers have produced only 3 runs over their previous 20 innings, an sudden downturn for a team that was among baseball's elite lineups all season.

Final Moments

The Los Angeles scraped a run in the ninth when Tommy Edman grounded out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's double put runners on base. But Varland finished the game without allowing a rally to build.

Following a game when the Blue Jays left a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after wave upon wave of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was ruthlessly effective. 6 different Toronto players collected base hits, five drove in runs and the squad converted almost every run-scoring chance presented in the final innings.

Looking Ahead

The victory guarantees the World Series title will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not won a title since Carter's iconic game-winning homer in 1993. They now know they are assured a full house in Canada on Friday night – and possibly the next day – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game looms 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. Toronto respond with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Toronto knocked out the starter quickly in an decisive victory.