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Only 24 hours after staggering through one of the most exhausting losses in World Series annals, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed complete control.

Guerrero smashed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber delivered a steady outing as Toronto beat the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, tying the Fall Classic at two games each and guaranteeing the series will return to Toronto.

Toronto had spent the early hours of the next day processing their marathon Game 3 loss – tied for the longest Fall Classic contest ever – a loss that denied them the chance to lead the series and burned through both bullpens. Skipper John Schneider insisted afterwards that “they won a contest, not the World Series”. A day later, his team provided emphatic proof.

Early Action

The Los Angeles again struck first. Max Muncy walked in the second inning, advanced on a single and scored on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early breakthrough did not shake a Toronto club that led Major League Baseball with 49 comeback victories this season.

They answered right away in the third. Lukes lined a one away base hit to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate hunting a curveball. Shohei Ohtani left a sweeper up and Guerrero sent it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his first long hit of the World Series and his seventh home run this postseason – a fresh team mark – restoring the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 scoreless frames and changing the momentum of the night.

Shohei's Performance

That hit also halted Shohei Ohtani's history-making run of 11 consecutive at-bats reaching base. The dual-threat phenomenon had smashed two homers and reached safely a record nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 walk-off. But on that night, he started on limited rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the previous marathon.

Ohtani fastball velocity was below his seasonal norm and he struggled more as the contest wore on. Nonetheless, he showed flashes of his usual command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and striking out six. He even walked in the first to continue his Fall Classic record. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six base hits and four earned runs were charged to him in over six frames.

Seventh Inning Surge

The bigger issue for Los Angeles was what followed when he eventually ran out of energy.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh inning with a clean hit to right field, and Clement smashed a two-base hit off the fence to put runners on with none out. Roberts had no option but to remove the starter, who exited to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Dodgers' bullpen could not finish the inning.

Anthony Banda inherited the mess and right away fell behind. Andrés Giménez fought to a full count before scoring the runner with a base hit to left field. France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove the pitcher out of the game. Treinen entered next but also was unable to stop the rally: Bichette and Barger punched RBI singles through the diamond, completing a four-run barrage that extended the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Toronto's capacity to withstand initial blows and respond has defined their whole postseason. They once again did it without George Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order man who left Game 3 after straining his oblique.

Bieber, meanwhile, was everything the Blue Jays required. Acquired mid-season while finishing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the former award-winning winner left multiple baserunners and silenced the Dodgers' potent lineup. He allowed one run on four hits and three free passes before Schneider summoned first-year pitcher Mason Fluharty to confront the heart of the lineup in the sixth inning. He required just 4 throws to get out Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a fragile lead that soon grew safe.

Former starter Chris Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' offense kept to sputter. Los Angeles have produced only three scores over their previous 20 frames, an sudden downturn for a club that ranked among MLB's elite lineups all year.

Closing Moments

The Los Angeles scraped a score in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman grounded out to score Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's double put runners aboard. But Varland finished the game without permitting a comeback to develop.

After a game when Toronto left a World Series-record 19 runners and collapsed after repeated of missed opportunities, Game 4 was ruthlessly efficient. Six different Toronto players recorded base hits, 5 brought home scores and the squad converted nearly every run-scoring opportunity presented in the late innings.

Looking Ahead

The win guarantees the championship trophy will be presented at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not celebrated a title since Joe Carter's iconic game-winning home run in 1993. They now are aware they are assured a packed house in Canada on Friday night – and possibly the next day – no matter what happens next in LA.

The fifth game approaches with the series reset and momentum shifting to Toronto. Los Angeles left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Blue Jays's momentum. The Blue Jays counter with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Blue Jays knocked out Snell quickly in an decisive win.