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Only 24 hours following staggering through one of the most draining defeats in World Series annals, the Toronto Blue Jays played with complete control.

Guerrero crushed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber delivered a composed outing as the Blue Jays defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, squaring the Fall Classic at two games each and ensuring the matchup will head back to Canada.

The Blue Jays had spent the early hours of Tuesday processing their marathon third game defeat – tied for the lengthiest Fall Classic contest ever – a defeat that cost them the opportunity to lead the series and burned through both relief corps. Manager John Schneider insisted afterwards that “the Dodgers won a contest, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad provided convincing evidence.

Initial Action

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

They responded right away in the third inning. Lukes hit a one away base hit to center field and Guerrero came to the plate hunting a breaking ball. Ohtani left a sweeper up and Guerrero drove it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his initial extra-base hit of the series and his 7th home run this playoffs – a new team mark – restoring the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 scoreless innings and changing the momentum of the game.

Ohtani's Night

That hit also halted Shohei Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 straight plate appearances reaching base. The two-way star had smashed two homers and got on base a historic nine times in the Dodgers' third game comeback win. But on that night, he started on short rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the previous extra-inning game.

Ohtani fastball velocity was under his seasonal norm and he struggled more as the contest progressed. Even so, he displayed flashes of his usual control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first to continue his Fall Classic record. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six hits and four earned runs were charged to him in six-plus innings.

Seventh Inning Surge

The bigger issue for the Dodgers was what followed when Ohtani finally ran out of energy.

Varsho opened the seventh with a clean hit to right, and Clement smashed a double off the fence to put runners on with no outs. Dave Roberts had no option but to remove Ohtani, who exited to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not finish the escape.

Banda came into the jam and immediately fell behind. Giménez battled to a full count before driving in the runner with a base hit to left. France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove the pitcher out of the contest. Treinen entered next but also was unable to stem the momentum: Bichette and Barger hit RBI base hits through the infield, completing a four-score barrage that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Blue Jays's capacity to withstand initial blows and answer has defined their whole run. They once again did it without Springer, the injured top-of-the-order man who exited the third game after straining his right side.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what Toronto needed. Traded for mid-season while completing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the former Cy Young winner stranded several baserunners and quieted the Dodgers' potent lineup. He allowed one run on four base hits and three free passes before Schneider called on first-year pitcher Mason Fluharty to face the core of the lineup in the sixth inning. Fluharty required just four throws to retire Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a narrow advantage that quickly became comfortable.

Converted starting pitcher Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' offense kept to sputter. The Dodgers have scored only three scores over their last 20 innings, an abrupt slowdown for a team that was among MLB's elite offenses all year.

Closing Moments

The Los Angeles managed a score in the ninth when Edman grounded out to bring home Hernández after a walk and Muncy's double put two on base. But Varland closed it down without permitting a comeback to build.

After a night when the Blue Jays stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and fell apart after repeated of wasted chances, the fourth contest was brutally efficient. 6 separate Blue Jays recorded base hits, 5 brought home runs and the team cashed almost every scoring chance presented in the late innings.

Looking Ahead

The win ensures the championship trophy will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a title since Carter's iconic game-winning homer in '93. They now are aware they are assured a full crowd in Canada on Friday night – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what occurs next in LA.

Game 5 looms with the matchup reset and energy shifting to Toronto. Dodgers left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Toronto's momentum. Toronto counter with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Toronto knocked out the starter early in an 11-4 victory.