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Only 24 hours following enduring one of the most exhausting defeats in Fall Classic history, the Toronto Blue Jays played with complete control.

Guerrero crushed a two-run home run and 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 games each and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Canada.

The Blue Jays had spent the early hours of the next day dealing with their 18-inning Game 3 loss – equal to the lengthiest World Series game ever – a defeat that cost them the chance to take the lead in the matchup and burned through both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider insisted afterwards that “the Dodgers won a game, not the World Series”. A day later, his squad provided convincing evidence.

Early Action

The Los Angeles again struck first. Max Muncy walked in the second inning, advanced on a single and scored on Hernández's fly out. But the initial breakthrough did not rattle a Toronto team that led Major League Baseball with 49 comeback victories this season.

They answered immediately in the third. Nathan Lukes hit a one away single to center field and Guerrero stepped in looking for a curveball. Shohei Ohtani threw a slider up and Guerrero sent it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his initial long hit of the series and his seventh homer this postseason – a fresh club record – restoring the Toronto's advantage after 13 scoreless frames and shifting the momentum of the night.

Ohtani's Night

That hit also halted Shohei Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 straight plate appearances reaching base. The dual-threat star had smashed two homers and reached safely a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' third game comeback win. But on that night, he started on short rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the previous marathon.

His pitch speed was under his regular-season average and he struggled more as the game wore on. Nonetheless, he showed flashes of his usual control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to extend his World Series streak. But the Toronto made him work: six base hits and four runs were credited to him in six-plus frames.

Late Game Surge

The bigger issue for the Dodgers was what followed when Ohtani finally lost steam.

Varsho opened the seventh with a clean hit to right, and Clement drilled a two-base hit off the wall to put runners on with none out. Roberts had little choice but to pull Ohtani, who exited to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not complete the escape.

Banda came into the mess and immediately fell behind. Andrés Giménez fought to a full count before scoring the runner with a single to left field. France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock the pitcher out of the game. Treinen entered next but also was unable to stem the momentum: Bo Bichette and Barger punched RBI base hits through the infield, capping a four-run outburst that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Blue Jays's ability to absorb early setbacks and respond has defined their whole postseason. They once again succeeded without Springer, the injured leadoff man who left the third game after tweaking his oblique.

Bieber, meanwhile, was everything the Blue Jays required. Acquired mid-season while completing recovery from elbow surgery, the ex- award-winning winner stranded several runners and quieted the Dodgers' potent lineup. He gave up one run on four base hits and three walks before the manager summoned rookie left-hander Fluharty to face the heart of the order in the sixth inning. He required just four pitches to get out Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a narrow advantage that soon became safe.

Former starter Chris Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' bats continued to sputter. The Dodgers have scored only three runs over their last 20 innings, an sudden downturn for a club that was among baseball's top lineups all season.

Final Innings

The Los Angeles scraped a score in the ninth when Tommy Edman hit into an out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Muncy's two-base hit put two on base. But Louis Varland finished the game without permitting a rally to build.

Following a game when Toronto left a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and collapsed after wave upon wave of missed chances, Game 4 was ruthlessly efficient. Six different Blue Jays recorded hits, 5 brought home scores and the team cashed almost every scoring opportunity presented in the final stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The win ensures the championship title will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not won a championship since Joe Carter's iconic game-winning home run in '93. They now know they are guaranteed a full crowd in Toronto on Friday night – and perhaps the next day – no matter what occurs next in LA.

Game 5 approaches with the matchup reset and energy shifting north. Los Angeles left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Blue Jays's surge. Toronto counter with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Toronto knocked out the starter quickly in an 11-4 victory.