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Only 24 hours following enduring one of the most exhausting defeats in World Series annals, the Toronto Blue Jays played with complete command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run home run and Bieber delivered a steady start as Toronto defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, squaring the Fall Classic at two games each and ensuring the matchup will head back to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had passed the morning of the next day processing their marathon third game defeat – tied for the lengthiest Fall Classic game ever – a loss that cost them the chance to lead the series and burned through both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider insisted afterwards that “the Dodgers took a contest, not the World Series”. A day later, his team provided convincing proof.

Initial Innings

The Dodgers again scored first. Max Muncy walked in the second, advanced on a single and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early score did not shake a Blue Jays club that topped MLB with 49 comeback victories this year.

They answered right away in the third inning. Lukes lined a one away base hit to center field and Guerrero stepped in looking for a breaking ball. Ohtani threw a slider up and he sent it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his initial long hit of the series and his seventh homer this postseason – a fresh team record – restoring the Blue Jays's lead after 13 scoreless frames and shifting the momentum of the night.

Shohei's Night

That hit also ended Shohei Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 straight plate appearances reaching base. The dual-threat star had hit two home runs and reached safely a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' 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 previous extra-inning game.

Ohtani pitch speed sat under his regular-season norm and he labored more as the contest progressed. Nonetheless, he showed glimpses of his usual control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to extend his Fall Classic record. But the Toronto made him work: six hits and four runs were charged to him in six-plus innings.

Late Game Rally

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

Daulton Varsho started the seventh with a clean hit to right field, and Clement drilled a two-base hit off the fence to put runners 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' relief corps could not finish the inning.

Anthony Banda inherited the jam and right away trailed in the count. Giménez fought to a full count before driving in the runner with a base hit to left. Ty France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove Banda out of the game. Treinen entered next but also was unable to stop the rally: Bichette and Barger hit run-scoring base hits through the infield, capping a four-score barrage that extended the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Blue Jays's capacity to withstand early setbacks and respond has defined their entire postseason. They once again succeeded without Springer, the injured leadoff hitter who left Game 3 after tweaking his oblique.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what the Blue Jays needed. Acquired mid-season while finishing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the ex- award-winning winner left multiple runners and quieted the Los Angeles' potent batting order. He gave up one earned run on four base hits and three free passes before Schneider called on first-year pitcher Mason Fluharty to confront the core of the lineup in the sixth inning. He needed just 4 pitches to get out Max Muncy and Edman, preserving a narrow lead that soon grew safe.

Former starter Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' offense kept to struggle. Los Angeles have scored only three scores over their last 20 frames, an abrupt slowdown for a team that was among baseball's top offenses all season.

Final Moments

The Los Angeles managed a score in the ninth inning when Edman grounded out to score Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's double put runners on base. But Louis Varland finished the game without allowing a comeback to build.

After a game when the Blue Jays stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after repeated of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was brutally effective. 6 separate Toronto players collected base hits, 5 brought home scores and the team converted almost every scoring chance available in the final innings.

Looking Ahead

The victory guarantees the championship title will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not celebrated a championship since Joe Carter's iconic game-winning homer in 1993. They now know they are assured a packed crowd in Toronto on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 looms with the matchup even and momentum shifting to Toronto. Los Angeles pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Blue Jays's surge. The Blue Jays respond with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Toronto chased the starter early in an decisive win.