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Less than a day after staggering through one of the most exhausting losses in World Series history, the Blue Jays played with total control.

Guerrero smashed a two-run homer and Bieber delivered a steady outing as Toronto beat the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, tying the World Series at two games each and guaranteeing the matchup will return to Canada.

Toronto had passed the morning of Tuesday processing their 18-inning Game 3 loss – tied for the lengthiest World Series game ever – a defeat that cost them the opportunity to lead the matchup and burned through both relief corps. Skipper Schneider stated later that “they won a contest, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his team offered convincing proof.

Early Innings

The Los Angeles again scored first. Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, moved up on a base hit and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early score did not rattle a Toronto club that led MLB with 49 comeback victories this year.

They answered right away in the third. Lukes hit a one-out single to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in looking for a breaking ball. Ohtani left a slider up and Guerrero sent it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his initial long hit of the World Series and his 7th home run this postseason – a new team record – regaining the Toronto's advantage after 13 shutout innings and shifting the tone of the game.

Shohei's Performance

That hit also halted Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 consecutive at-bats reaching base. The two-way phenomenon had hit two home runs and reached safely a record nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 walk-off. But on that night, he took the mound on limited rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the prior marathon.

Ohtani pitch speed sat below his regular-season norm and he labored more as the contest progressed. Nonetheless, he showed glimpses of his usual command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first to continue his Fall Classic streak. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six base hits and four earned runs were credited to him in over six innings.

Seventh Inning Surge

The bigger issue for the Dodgers was what came next when he eventually lost energy.

Varsho started the seventh inning with a sharp hit to right field, and Clement smashed a double off the wall to put two on with no outs. Roberts had no option but to pull the starter, who exited to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Dodgers' bullpen could not finish the escape.

Banda inherited the mess and immediately trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before scoring Varsho with a single to left. France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock the pitcher out of the contest. Blake Treinen entered next but also failed to stem the rally: Bo Bichette and Barger punched RBI singles through the infield, completing a four-score barrage that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Toronto's ability to withstand initial blows and respond has characterized their entire run. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order man who exited Game 3 after straining his right side.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was everything Toronto needed. Acquired mid-season while completing recovery from elbow surgery, the former Cy Young winner stranded multiple baserunners and silenced the Dodgers' dangerous batting order. He gave up one earned run on four base hits and three walks before Schneider called on rookie left-hander Fluharty to face the heart of the lineup in the sixth inning. He needed just 4 throws to retire Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a fragile advantage that quickly grew comfortable.

Converted starter Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' offense continued to struggle. The Dodgers have scored only 3 scores over their last 20 innings, an sudden slowdown for a team that ranked among baseball's top offenses all year.

Closing Innings

The Los Angeles managed a run in the ninth inning when Edman grounded out to bring home Hernández after a walk and Muncy's double put runners aboard. But Varland finished the game without permitting a comeback to build.

Following a game when the Blue Jays left a World Series-record 19 runners and collapsed after repeated of missed opportunities, Game 4 was ruthlessly efficient. 6 separate Blue Jays collected hits, 5 brought home scores and the squad converted nearly every scoring chance available in the final stanzas.

Next Up

The victory guarantees the World Series title will be presented at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not won a championship since Joe Carter's iconic walk-off home run in 1993. They now are aware they are assured a packed crowd in Canada on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 looms with the matchup reset and momentum shifting north. Dodgers 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 Blue Jays chased Snell early in an 11-4 victory.