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Only 24 hours after enduring one of the most draining defeats in Fall Classic history, the Toronto Blue Jays played with total command.

Guerrero smashed a two-run home run and Bieber provided a composed start as Toronto beat the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, tying the World Series at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the series will head back to Canada.

The Blue Jays had passed the morning of the next day processing their marathon third game defeat – tied for the longest Fall Classic game ever – a loss that denied them the opportunity to lead the series and burned through both relief corps. Manager Schneider insisted later that “the Dodgers won a contest, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad offered convincing evidence.

Early Action

The Dodgers again struck first. Max Muncy walked in the second inning, moved up on a base hit and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the early score did not rattle a Blue Jays club that led MLB with 49 comeback wins this season.

They answered immediately in the third. Lukes lined a one away single to center field and Guerrero stepped in hunting a curveball. Ohtani threw a slider up and he drove it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his first long hit of the series and his 7th homer this playoffs – a new club mark – restoring the Blue Jays's lead after 13 scoreless innings and shifting the tone of the night.

Shohei's Performance

That swing also ended Shohei Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 consecutive at-bats reaching base. The dual-threat star had hit two homers and got on base a record nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 walk-off. But on Tuesday, he started on limited rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the prior marathon.

His fastball velocity sat below his regular-season average and he labored more as the contest wore on. Nonetheless, he displayed glimpses of his typical command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to continue his Fall Classic record. But the Blue Jays made him work: six base hits and four earned runs were credited to him in over six innings.

Late Game Rally

The bigger issue for the Dodgers was what followed when Ohtani finally lost energy.

Daulton Varsho started the seventh inning with a clean single to right field, and Ernie Clement drilled a double off the wall to put two on with no outs. Dave Roberts had no option but to remove Ohtani, who departed to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not complete the inning.

Banda inherited the jam and immediately trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before scoring Varsho with a base hit to left field. France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock Banda out of the game. Blake Treinen came in next but also failed to stem the momentum: Bo Bichette and Barger punched run-scoring base hits through the diamond, capping a four-score barrage that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Toronto's capacity to withstand initial setbacks and respond has characterized their whole run. They once again succeeded without Springer, the injured top-of-the-order hitter who left the third game after tweaking his right side.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was everything the Blue Jays needed. Acquired during the summer while completing rehab from elbow surgery, the former award-winning winner stranded multiple runners and quieted the Dodgers' dangerous batting order. He gave up one earned run on four base hits and three walks before the manager called on first-year left-hander Mason Fluharty to face the heart of the order in the sixth. He required just 4 pitches to retire Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a narrow lead that soon grew comfortable.

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

Final Moments

The Los Angeles managed a run in the ninth when Edman hit into an out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's two-base hit put runners on base. But Varland finished the game without permitting a rally to develop.

After a game when Toronto stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after wave upon wave of wasted chances, Game 4 was ruthlessly effective. Six different Toronto players collected base hits, five brought home runs and the squad cashed almost every scoring chance available in the late stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The victory guarantees the World Series title will be presented at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not won a title since Carter's famous game-winning homer in '93. They now are aware they are assured a full house in Canada on Friday evening – and possibly the next day – no matter what occurs next in LA.

The fifth game looms with the matchup even and energy shifting north. Dodgers left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Blue Jays's momentum. The Blue Jays respond with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Blue Jays knocked out Snell early in an 11-4 victory.