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Only 24 hours after enduring one of the most draining losses in World Series annals, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed total control.

Guerrero crushed a two-run homer and Bieber delivered a composed start as the Blue Jays defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, tying the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the series will head back to Canada.

The Blue Jays had passed the morning of the next day dealing with their 18-inning third game defeat – equal to the longest Fall Classic contest ever – a defeat that denied them the chance to lead the series and burned through both bullpens. Skipper Schneider insisted later that “they took a game, not the World Series”. A day later, his team offered convincing evidence.

Initial Innings

The Los Angeles again struck first. Muncy walked in the second inning, advanced on a single and crossed the plate on Hernández's fly out. But the initial breakthrough did not rattle a Blue Jays club that topped Major League Baseball with 49 comeback wins this year.

They responded right away in the third. Nathan Lukes lined a one away single to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate looking for a curveball. Shohei Ohtani left a slider up and he sent it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his initial long hit of the World Series and his seventh home run this playoffs – a fresh team mark – regaining the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 shutout innings and shifting the tone of the night.

Ohtani's Night

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

Ohtani pitch speed was under his seasonal norm and he struggled more as the contest wore on. Nonetheless, he showed flashes of his typical control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and striking out six. He even walked in the first to extend his World Series record. But the Toronto made him work: six hits and four runs were credited to him in over six frames.

Late Game Rally

The bigger problem for Los Angeles was what came next when Ohtani eventually lost energy.

Varsho opened the seventh with a clean hit to right field, and Ernie Clement smashed a two-base hit off the fence to put two on with none out. Dave Roberts had little choice but to remove Ohtani, who departed to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not complete the inning.

Anthony Banda inherited the mess and immediately fell behind. Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before driving in Varsho with a base hit to left. France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock the pitcher out of the game. Blake Treinen entered next but also was unable to stop the momentum: Bichette and Barger hit RBI singles through the infield, capping a four-run barrage that extended the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Toronto's capacity to withstand initial blows and respond has defined their whole run. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the injured top-of-the-order man who exited the third game after straining his oblique.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what the Blue Jays required. Traded for during the summer while finishing rehab from elbow surgery, the former award-winning winner stranded multiple baserunners and quieted the Dodgers' dangerous lineup. He allowed one earned run on four base hits and three walks before the manager called on first-year pitcher Mason Fluharty to face the heart of the lineup in the sixth. Fluharty needed just four throws to get out Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a fragile lead that quickly grew comfortable.

Converted starter Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' bats continued to struggle. The Dodgers have scored only three scores over their last 20 innings, an sudden downturn for a club that ranked among MLB's top lineups all season.

Closing Innings

The Dodgers managed a run in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman grounded out to score Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Muncy's two-base hit put two aboard. But Varland closed it down without allowing a rally to build.

After a game when the Blue Jays left a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and collapsed after repeated of missed opportunities, the fourth contest was brutally effective. 6 separate Toronto players recorded hits, five brought home runs and the squad converted almost every scoring opportunity presented in the late stanzas.

Next Up

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

Game 5 looms with the matchup reset and momentum shifting to Toronto. Dodgers left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Toronto's surge. The Blue Jays respond with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Blue Jays knocked out Snell quickly in an 11-4 win.