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Less than a day following enduring one of the most draining defeats in World Series history, the Blue Jays displayed total command.

Guerrero smashed a two-run home run and Bieber provided 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 games each and guaranteeing the matchup will return to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had passed the morning of Tuesday dealing with their marathon third game defeat – equal to the lengthiest World Series contest ever – a loss that denied them the chance to take the lead in the series and depleted both relief corps. Skipper Schneider insisted later that “they took a game, not the championship”. A day later, his team provided convincing proof.

Initial Action

The Los Angeles again scored first. Max Muncy walked in the second inning, moved up on a single and scored on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early breakthrough did not shake a Toronto club that led Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind wins this year.

They responded right away in the third inning. Nathan Lukes hit a one-out single to centre and Guerrero came to the plate looking for a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani threw a sweeper up and Guerrero sent it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his initial long hit of the World Series and his seventh home run this postseason – a fresh club mark – restoring the Toronto's lead after 13 scoreless innings and changing the momentum of the game.

Shohei's Performance

That hit also halted Shohei Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 consecutive at-bats getting on base. The dual-threat star had hit two home runs and got on base a historic nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 comeback win. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on limited rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the previous extra-inning game.

His fastball velocity sat below his seasonal average and he struggled more as the game wore on. Even so, he displayed glimpses of his usual command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first to continue his Fall Classic streak. But the Toronto made him work: six hits and four earned runs were credited to him in over six innings.

Late Game Rally

The larger issue for Los Angeles was what followed when he eventually lost steam.

Varsho started the seventh with a clean hit to right field, and Clement smashed a two-base hit off the wall to put runners on with no outs. Dave Roberts had no option but to remove Ohtani, who departed to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not complete the escape.

Anthony Banda inherited the jam and right away trailed in the count. Giménez battled to a full count before scoring the runner with a single to left. Ty France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock Banda out of the contest. Treinen entered next but also was unable to stop the rally: Bichette and Barger punched RBI base hits through the infield, completing a four-score outburst that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Toronto's capacity to withstand initial blows and respond has defined their entire postseason. They once again did it without George Springer, the injured leadoff man who exited Game 3 after straining his right side.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was everything the Blue Jays required. Traded for during the summer while finishing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the ex- award-winning winner left multiple runners and silenced the Los Angeles' potent batting order. He allowed one earned run on four hits and three walks before Schneider called on first-year left-hander Fluharty to confront the heart of the lineup in the sixth. He needed just four pitches to retire Muncy and Edman, protecting a fragile advantage that quickly grew safe.

Converted starter Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' bats continued to sputter. Los Angeles have scored only three scores over their last 20 innings, an sudden slowdown for a club that was among MLB's top offenses all year.

Final Moments

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

After a night when Toronto stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after wave upon wave of wasted opportunities, Game 4 was brutally efficient. Six separate Blue Jays collected hits, 5 drove in runs and the team converted nearly every run-scoring opportunity presented in the final innings.

Next Up

The victory guarantees the championship trophy will be presented at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not won a title since Carter's iconic walk-off homer in 1993. They now are aware they are guaranteed a packed crowd in Toronto on Friday evening – and perhaps the next day – no matter what happens next in LA.

The fifth game approaches with the series even and energy shifting north. Los Angeles left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Blue Jays's surge. Toronto respond with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Blue Jays knocked out Snell early in an 11-4 win.