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Less than a day after enduring one of the most draining losses in World Series history, the Blue Jays displayed complete control.

Guerrero crushed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber delivered a composed outing as Toronto defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, tying the World Series at two games each and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Canada.

Toronto had spent the morning of the next day processing their marathon Game 3 loss – equal to the lengthiest Fall Classic game ever – a loss that denied them the opportunity to take the lead in the series and depleted both bullpens. Manager Schneider stated afterwards that “the Dodgers won a contest, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad provided emphatic proof.

Initial Innings

The Los Angeles again struck first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, moved up on a base hit and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the initial score did not shake a Toronto club that led Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind wins this year.

They responded immediately in the third. Nathan Lukes hit a one away base hit to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in looking for a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani threw a slider up and he sent it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his initial extra-base hit of the series and his 7th homer this playoffs – a fresh club record – restoring the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 scoreless frames and changing the tone of the game.

Shohei's Night

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

His fastball velocity sat below his seasonal norm and he struggled more as the contest wore on. Even so, he showed glimpses of his typical control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and striking out six. He even walked in the first to continue his World Series streak. But the Toronto made him work: six hits and four earned runs were charged to him in six-plus innings.

Late Game Rally

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

Varsho started the seventh inning with a clean single to right field, and Clement smashed a double off the fence to put two on with none out. Dave Roberts had little choice but to pull the starter, who departed to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not finish the escape.

Banda came into the jam and right away fell behind. Andrés Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before scoring the runner with a single to left. 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. Blake Treinen entered next but also failed to stop the rally: Bichette and Addison Barger hit RBI base hits through the infield, completing a four-score outburst that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Toronto's ability to withstand initial setbacks and respond has characterized their entire postseason. They once again did it without Springer, the injured leadoff hitter who exited Game 3 after tweaking his oblique.

Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what the Blue Jays required. Acquired during the summer while finishing rehab from elbow surgery, the former award-winning winner left several runners and quieted the Los Angeles' potent batting order. He allowed one earned run on four hits and three walks before Schneider summoned first-year pitcher Fluharty to face the heart of the lineup in the sixth inning. Fluharty required just four throws to retire Max Muncy and Edman, protecting a narrow advantage that soon grew safe.

Converted starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' offense continued to sputter. Los Angeles have scored only 3 runs over their previous 20 innings, an abrupt slowdown for a team that was among MLB's top lineups all season.

Closing Innings

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

Following a night when the Blue Jays stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after wave upon wave of wasted chances, the fourth contest was ruthlessly effective. 6 different Toronto players collected hits, five brought home runs and the squad converted almost every run-scoring chance presented in the late innings.

Looking Ahead

The victory guarantees the World Series title will be presented at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not won a championship since Carter's iconic walk-off home run in '93. They now know they are assured a packed house in Toronto on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what happens next in LA.

The fifth game approaches with the series reset and momentum shifting north. Dodgers left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Toronto's momentum. The Blue Jays counter 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 win.