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Only 24 hours following enduring one of the most exhausting losses in World Series history, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed total command.

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

The Blue Jays had spent the morning of Tuesday processing their 18-inning Game 3 loss – tied for the lengthiest World Series contest ever – a defeat that denied them the opportunity to take the lead in the series and depleted both bullpens. Manager Schneider stated later that “they took a game, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his team provided convincing evidence.

Initial Action

The Dodgers again struck first. Max Muncy walked in the second inning, moved up on a base hit and crossed the plate on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial score did not rattle a Blue Jays club that led MLB with 49 come-from-behind wins this year.

They responded right away in the third. Lukes hit a one-out base hit to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate hunting a curveball. Ohtani threw a sweeper up and Guerrero sent it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his initial long hit of the series and his seventh homer this postseason – a new club mark – restoring the Toronto's advantage after 13 shutout frames and changing the momentum of the game.

Shohei's Performance

That swing also ended Shohei Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 consecutive at-bats reaching base. The two-way star had hit two homers and got on base a record nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 comeback win. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on short rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the prior extra-inning game.

His pitch speed was under his seasonal average and he labored more as the game progressed. Even so, he displayed glimpses of his typical command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first to extend his World Series streak. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six hits and four runs were charged to him in over six innings.

Late Game Rally

The bigger issue for the Dodgers was what came next when he finally lost steam.

Varsho started the seventh inning with a sharp hit to right field, and Ernie Clement smashed a two-base hit off the wall to put runners on with no outs. Roberts had little choice but to remove the starter, who departed to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not finish the escape.

Banda inherited the jam and immediately trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez fought to a full count before driving in the runner with a single to left field. France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove the pitcher out of the game. Blake Treinen came in next but also failed to stop the momentum: Bo Bichette and Barger hit run-scoring base hits through the infield, capping a four-score outburst that extended the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Toronto's capacity to withstand initial blows and respond has defined their entire postseason. They once again did it without Springer, the injured leadoff hitter who left the third game after tweaking his oblique.

Bieber, meanwhile, was everything the Blue Jays required. Traded for mid-season while finishing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the former Cy Young winner stranded multiple baserunners and silenced the Dodgers' dangerous lineup. He gave up one run on four base hits and three walks before the manager called on first-year pitcher Mason Fluharty to face the core of the order in the sixth inning. Fluharty required just 4 pitches to retire Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a narrow lead that soon grew comfortable.

Converted starter Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' bats kept to sputter. Los Angeles have scored only three scores over their previous 20 frames, an sudden slowdown for a club that was among MLB's elite offenses all season.

Final Moments

The Los Angeles scraped a score in the ninth inning when Edman hit into an out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Muncy's two-base hit put two aboard. But Varland finished the game without permitting a comeback to develop.

Following a game when Toronto stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after repeated of wasted opportunities, Game 4 was brutally effective. Six different Toronto players recorded hits, 5 drove in runs and the squad cashed nearly every run-scoring chance available in the final innings.

Next Up

The win ensures the World Series trophy will be presented at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not won a title since Joe Carter's iconic walk-off homer in '93. They now know they are guaranteed a full house in Toronto on Friday night – and perhaps the next day – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 looms with the matchup even and momentum swinging to Toronto. Los Angeles left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Toronto's momentum. The Blue Jays respond with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Toronto chased Snell early in an decisive victory.