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Only 24 hours following staggering through one of the most draining losses in World Series history, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed total control.

Guerrero smashed a two-run home run and Bieber delivered a composed outing as Toronto defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, tying the Fall Classic at two games each and guaranteeing the series will return to Canada.

Toronto had passed the early hours of the next day dealing with their marathon Game 3 loss – equal to the longest Fall Classic contest ever – a defeat that denied them the chance to lead the series and depleted both relief corps. Manager John Schneider insisted later that “the Dodgers took a contest, not the championship”. A day later, his squad provided convincing evidence.

Initial Innings

The Dodgers again scored first. Muncy drew a walk in the second, advanced on a base hit and scored on Hernández's fly out. But the early breakthrough did not shake a Blue Jays team that led Major League Baseball with 49 comeback victories this season.

They responded immediately in the third. Nathan Lukes hit a one-out single to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in hunting a breaking ball. Ohtani threw a sweeper up and he sent it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his initial long hit of the series and his 7th homer this playoffs – a new team record – restoring the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 scoreless frames and changing the tone of the game.

Shohei's Performance

That hit also halted Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 consecutive at-bats getting on base. The dual-threat phenomenon had hit two home runs and reached safely a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' third game walk-off. But on that night, he took the mound on limited rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the previous marathon.

Ohtani fastball velocity sat below his seasonal norm and he struggled more as the game progressed. Even so, he showed glimpses of his typical command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and striking out six. He even walked in the first inning to extend his World Series streak. But the Blue Jays made him work: six base hits and four earned runs were charged to him in six-plus innings.

Seventh Inning Surge

The larger issue for the Dodgers was what came next when he eventually lost steam.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh inning with a clean single to right field, and Ernie Clement drilled a double off the fence to put runners on with none out. Roberts had no option but to pull Ohtani, who departed to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Dodgers' relief corps could not finish the inning.

Anthony Banda came into the mess and immediately trailed in the count. Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before driving in Varsho with a base hit to left field. Ty 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 contest. Blake Treinen entered next but also was unable to stop the momentum: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger punched run-scoring base hits through the diamond, capping a four-score barrage that extended the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Blue Jays's capacity to absorb early blows and answer has defined their entire run. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order hitter who left the third game after straining his oblique.

Bieber, in contrast, was everything the Blue Jays required. Acquired during the summer while completing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the former Cy Young winner stranded several runners and quieted the Dodgers' dangerous lineup. He gave up one run on four hits and three walks before Schneider called on first-year pitcher Mason Fluharty to face the core of the lineup in the sixth. Fluharty needed just four throws to retire Max Muncy and Edman, protecting a narrow advantage that quickly became comfortable.

Converted starter Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' offense continued to struggle. Los Angeles have produced only three runs over their last 20 innings, an sudden slowdown for a team that ranked among baseball's top lineups all season.

Closing Moments

The Los Angeles scraped a score in the ninth inning when Edman grounded out to bring home Hernández after a walk and Muncy's two-base hit put runners aboard. But Louis Varland closed it down without allowing a comeback to build.

Following a game when the Blue Jays stranded a World Series-record 19 runners and fell apart after repeated of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was brutally effective. 6 different Toronto players recorded base hits, five brought home runs and the team converted nearly every scoring chance presented in the final stanzas.

Next Up

The victory guarantees the World Series title will be presented at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not won a championship since Carter's iconic walk-off homer in '93. They now know they are assured a full crowd in Canada on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 approaches with the matchup reset and momentum shifting to Toronto. Los Angeles left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Toronto's momentum. Toronto respond with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Blue Jays knocked out Snell quickly in an 11-4 victory.