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Less than a day following staggering through one of the most draining losses in Fall Classic annals, the Toronto Blue Jays played with complete command.

Guerrero smashed a two-run homer and Bieber provided a composed outing as Toronto beat the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, tying the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the series will return to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had spent the early hours of the next day dealing with their 18-inning third game defeat – equal to the lengthiest World Series contest ever – a defeat that denied them the chance to take the lead in the series and depleted both bullpens. Skipper John Schneider stated afterwards that “they won a game, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad offered emphatic proof.

Early Innings

The Dodgers again scored first. Muncy drew a walk in the second, moved up on a base hit and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early breakthrough did not rattle a Toronto club that topped MLB with 49 come-from-behind victories this season.

They answered immediately in the third inning. Lukes lined a one away single to centre and Guerrero stepped in looking for a curveball. Ohtani left a sweeper up and Guerrero sent it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his initial long hit of the World Series and his seventh homer this playoffs – a fresh team mark – restoring the Blue Jays's lead after 13 shutout innings and shifting the tone of the game.

Ohtani's Performance

That swing also ended Shohei Ohtani's history-making run of 11 straight plate appearances getting on base. The two-way star had smashed two homers and reached safely a historic nine times in the Dodgers' third game comeback win. But on Tuesday, he started on limited rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the prior marathon.

His fastball velocity was below his seasonal average and he labored more as the contest progressed. Nonetheless, he showed flashes of his typical control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and striking out six. He even walked in the first inning to continue his Fall Classic record. But the Toronto made him work: six base hits and four runs were credited to him in over six frames.

Seventh Inning Surge

The larger problem for Los Angeles was what came next when he finally ran out of steam.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh with a clean hit to right field, and Clement smashed a two-base hit off the wall to put two on with no outs. Roberts had no option but to pull the starter, who exited to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Dodgers' relief corps could not finish the escape.

Banda inherited the jam and immediately trailed in the count. Giménez battled to a full count before driving in the runner with a single to left. France came up next 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 stem the rally: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger punched RBI base hits through the diamond, capping a four-run outburst that extended the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Toronto's capacity to absorb initial setbacks and answer has defined their entire postseason. They once again succeeded without Springer, the injured leadoff man who left Game 3 after tweaking his right side.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what Toronto required. Acquired mid-season while completing rehab from elbow surgery, the former Cy Young winner stranded multiple runners and quieted the Dodgers' dangerous batting order. He gave up one run on four hits and three free passes before the manager summoned first-year pitcher Fluharty to face the core of the lineup in the sixth. Fluharty required just 4 pitches to get out Muncy and Edman, protecting a fragile advantage that soon grew comfortable.

Converted starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' bats kept to struggle. Los Angeles have scored only three runs over their last 20 frames, an abrupt slowdown for a club that ranked among baseball's top offenses all season.

Final Moments

The Dodgers scraped a score in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman grounded out to score Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's two-base hit put runners on base. But Varland finished the game without allowing a comeback to develop.

After a night when the Blue Jays stranded a World Series-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after wave upon wave of wasted opportunities, Game 4 was ruthlessly effective. 6 different Blue Jays collected hits, 5 brought home runs and the team cashed almost every run-scoring opportunity available in the final stanzas.

Looking Ahead

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

The fifth game looms with the matchup reset and energy shifting north. Los Angeles left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Blue Jays's surge. The Blue Jays respond with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Blue Jays knocked out the starter quickly in an 11-4 victory.