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Less than a day following enduring one of the most exhausting defeats in Fall Classic annals, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed complete command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber provided a composed start as Toronto beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, tying the Fall Classic at two games each and guaranteeing the series will head back to Toronto.

Toronto had passed the early hours of the next day processing their 18-inning third game defeat – tied for the lengthiest World Series contest ever – a loss that denied them the opportunity to lead the matchup and burned through both bullpens. Manager John Schneider stated later that “the Dodgers won a contest, not the World Series”. A day later, his team offered convincing evidence.

Early Innings

The Dodgers again scored first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, moved up on a single and scored on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the initial breakthrough did not shake a Toronto club that topped Major League Baseball with 49 comeback victories this year.

They responded immediately in the third inning. Lukes lined a one-out single to center field and Guerrero stepped in hunting a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani left a slider up and he sent it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his first extra-base hit of the World Series and his seventh home run this postseason – a new team mark – regaining the Toronto's advantage after 13 scoreless frames and changing the tone of the game.

Shohei's Night

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 got on base a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' third game comeback win. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on short rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the prior extra-inning game.

His fastball velocity sat under his seasonal average and he struggled more as the contest wore on. Even so, he displayed glimpses of his typical command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and striking out 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 six-plus frames.

Late Game Surge

The larger issue for Los Angeles was what followed when Ohtani finally lost steam.

Daulton Varsho started the seventh with a clean single to right, and Clement drilled a double off the wall to put runners on with no outs. Dave Roberts had little choice but to pull the starter, who exited to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Dodgers' relief corps could not complete the escape.

Banda inherited the mess and right away trailed in the count. Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before driving in 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 contest. Blake Treinen came in next but also was unable to stop the rally: Bichette and Addison Barger hit RBI singles through the infield, completing a four-score barrage that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Toronto's capacity to withstand early blows and answer has characterized their whole run. They once again did it without George Springer, the hurt leadoff hitter who left Game 3 after straining his oblique.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what the Blue Jays required. Acquired mid-season while completing recovery from elbow surgery, the former Cy Young winner stranded multiple baserunners and silenced the Los Angeles' potent lineup. He gave up one run on four base hits and three walks before Schneider called on first-year left-hander Fluharty to confront the heart of the lineup in the sixth inning. Fluharty required just four throws to retire Muncy and Edman, preserving a fragile lead that quickly became comfortable.

Converted starter Chris Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' bats kept to struggle. The Dodgers have produced only 3 scores over their previous 20 innings, an sudden slowdown for a club that was among MLB's elite offenses all season.

Final Innings

The Dodgers scraped a run in the ninth inning when Edman hit into an out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Muncy's double put two aboard. But Varland finished the game without permitting a rally to develop.

Following a game when Toronto stranded a World Series-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after repeated of missed chances, Game 4 was ruthlessly efficient. 6 different Blue Jays collected base hits, five brought home runs and the team converted almost every scoring chance presented in the final stanzas.

Next Up

The victory ensures the championship trophy will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not won a title since Joe Carter's iconic game-winning homer in '93. They now are aware they are guaranteed a packed house in Toronto on Friday evening – and perhaps the next day – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game looms with the matchup reset and energy swinging to Toronto. 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 Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Blue Jays chased the starter early in an decisive victory.