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Less than a day following enduring one of the most draining losses in Fall Classic history, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed complete command.

Guerrero smashed a two-run home run and Bieber provided a steady outing as the Blue Jays beat the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, tying the World Series at two games each and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had passed the early hours of Tuesday processing their 18-inning third game defeat – tied for the lengthiest World Series contest ever – a defeat that denied them the opportunity to take the lead in the series and burned through both bullpens. Manager John Schneider stated afterwards that “the Dodgers took a game, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his team offered convincing evidence.

Initial Innings

The Los Angeles again scored first. Muncy walked in the second inning, moved up on a base hit and scored on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial score did not shake a Blue Jays club that led Major League Baseball with 49 comeback wins this season.

They answered immediately in the third inning. Nathan Lukes hit a one-out single to centre and Guerrero stepped in hunting a curveball. Shohei Ohtani left a slider up and Guerrero drove it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his initial extra-base hit of the World Series and his seventh home run this playoffs – a new team mark – regaining the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 shutout frames and shifting the momentum of the night.

Ohtani's Night

That hit also ended Shohei Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 straight at-bats reaching base. The dual-threat phenomenon had smashed two homers and got on base a historic nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 walk-off. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on limited rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the prior marathon.

His fastball velocity sat under his seasonal average and he struggled more as the contest wore on. Even so, he showed flashes of his typical command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and fanning six. He even walked in the first to extend his World Series streak. But the Blue Jays made him work: six hits and four runs were credited to him in over six innings.

Seventh Inning Rally

The bigger issue for the Dodgers was what followed when Ohtani finally ran out of steam.

Varsho opened the seventh with a sharp hit to right, and Clement drilled a double off the fence to put two on with no outs. Roberts had no option but to pull Ohtani, who exited to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not complete the inning.

Banda came into the mess and right away fell behind. Andrés Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before scoring the runner with a single to left field. France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock Banda out of the contest. Blake Treinen came in next but also was unable to stem the rally: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger punched run-scoring base hits through the infield, completing a four-run barrage that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Toronto's ability to absorb initial blows and respond has defined their whole postseason. They once again succeeded without Springer, the injured leadoff man who left the third game after straining his right side.

Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what Toronto required. Traded for mid-season while finishing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the former award-winning winner stranded multiple baserunners and quieted the Los Angeles' dangerous lineup. He gave up one run on four base hits and three walks before Schneider called on first-year left-hander Mason Fluharty to face the heart of the lineup in the sixth. He required just 4 pitches to get out Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a fragile advantage that quickly became safe.

Former starting pitcher Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' offense continued to struggle. The Dodgers have scored only three scores over their previous 20 frames, an sudden slowdown for a club that was among baseball's elite lineups all year.

Final Moments

The Dodgers managed a score in the ninth when Tommy Edman hit into an out to bring home Hernández after a walk and Muncy's double put runners aboard. But Varland closed it down without permitting a rally to build.

After a game when Toronto left a World Series-record 19 runners and fell apart after repeated of missed chances, Game 4 was ruthlessly efficient. 6 separate Blue Jays recorded hits, five brought home runs and the squad converted nearly every run-scoring opportunity available in the late stanzas.

Next Up

The win guarantees the championship trophy will be presented at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not celebrated a championship since Carter's iconic walk-off home run in '93. 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.

Game 5 approaches with the matchup reset and energy swinging north. Dodgers pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Toronto's surge. The Blue Jays respond with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Toronto knocked out Snell early in an 11-4 victory.