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Only 24 hours following staggering through one of the most draining defeats in Fall Classic annals, the Blue Jays played with complete command.

Guerrero crushed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber provided a composed start as the Blue Jays beat the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, squaring the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and ensuring the series will head back to Canada.

The Blue Jays had spent the early hours of Tuesday dealing with their marathon third game defeat – tied for the lengthiest World Series game ever – a loss that denied them the opportunity to take the lead in the matchup and burned through both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider stated later that “they won a contest, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad provided emphatic proof.

Early Innings

The Los Angeles again scored first. Muncy walked in the second, advanced on a single and scored on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early score did not shake a Toronto club that led Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind victories this season.

They responded right away in the third. Lukes lined a one-out single to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in looking for a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani left a sweeper up and he drove it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his first extra-base hit of the World Series and his 7th homer this postseason – a new club record – regaining the Blue Jays's lead after 13 scoreless frames and changing the tone of the game.

Shohei's Night

That hit also ended Shohei Ohtani's history-making run of 11 straight at-bats getting on base. The two-way star had smashed two home runs and got on base a historic nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 walk-off. But on that night, he started on limited rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the prior extra-inning game.

Ohtani fastball velocity sat under his seasonal norm and he struggled more as the contest wore on. Nonetheless, he displayed glimpses of his usual command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to extend his Fall Classic streak. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six hits and four runs were credited to him in over six frames.

Seventh Inning Surge

The bigger issue for the Dodgers was what followed when he eventually ran out of energy.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh with a sharp hit to right, and Clement smashed a double off the wall to put runners on with none out. Dave Roberts had little choice but to remove the starter, who departed to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Dodgers' bullpen could not finish the inning.

Anthony Banda came into the jam and immediately fell behind. Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before driving in the runner with a base hit to left field. France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove the pitcher out of the game. Treinen entered next but also was unable to stem the rally: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger punched run-scoring singles through the diamond, capping a four-score barrage that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Blue Jays's ability to absorb early setbacks and respond has characterized their entire postseason. They once again did it without George Springer, the injured top-of-the-order hitter who left the third game after straining his right side.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was everything Toronto needed. Traded for during the summer while completing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the former award-winning winner left multiple baserunners and quieted the Dodgers' potent batting order. He allowed one run on four base hits and three free passes before Schneider called on first-year left-hander Mason Fluharty to face the heart of the order in the sixth. He needed just 4 pitches to retire Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a fragile advantage that soon grew comfortable.

Converted starter Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' bats kept to sputter. The Dodgers have scored only three scores over their last 20 frames, an sudden downturn for a team that was among baseball's elite offenses all season.

Final Innings

The Dodgers scraped a score in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman hit into an out to bring home Hernández after a walk and Muncy's two-base hit put two aboard. But Louis Varland closed it down without permitting a rally to develop.

After a night when Toronto left a World Series-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after repeated of missed chances, the fourth contest was brutally effective. Six separate Toronto players recorded base hits, five brought home runs and the squad converted almost every scoring opportunity presented in the final stanzas.

Next Up

The victory ensures the World Series title will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not won a championship since Carter's iconic walk-off home run in 1993. They now are aware they are guaranteed a packed house in Toronto on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 approaches with the series even and energy shifting north. Los Angeles pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Blue Jays's momentum. The Blue Jays respond with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Toronto knocked out the starter early in an 11-4 win.