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Less than a day after enduring one of the most exhausting defeats in World Series annals, the Blue Jays played with complete command.

Guerrero crushed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber provided a composed start as Toronto defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, tying the World Series at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Toronto.

Toronto had spent the early hours of Tuesday dealing with their marathon third game defeat – tied for the longest Fall Classic contest ever – a loss that denied them the chance to lead the series and burned through both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider stated afterwards that “they won a contest, not the World Series”. A day later, his squad offered convincing evidence.

Initial Innings

The Dodgers again struck first. Muncy walked in the second, moved up on a base hit and scored on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the initial breakthrough did not shake a Toronto team that led MLB with 49 comeback victories this season.

They responded immediately in the third inning. Lukes hit a one away base hit to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in hunting a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani left a slider up and Guerrero sent it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his first long hit of the series and his 7th homer this playoffs – a fresh club record – restoring the Toronto's advantage after 13 shutout frames and shifting the momentum of the game.

Shohei's Night

That swing also halted Shohei Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 straight plate appearances reaching base. The dual-threat phenomenon had smashed 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 short rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the prior marathon.

His pitch speed sat under his seasonal average and he labored more as the contest progressed. Even so, he showed flashes of his usual command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to continue his World Series record. But the Blue Jays made him work: six hits and four runs were credited to him in six-plus innings.

Seventh Inning Rally

The bigger problem for the Dodgers was what came next when he eventually ran out of energy.

Varsho opened the seventh inning with a clean single to right, and Clement drilled a two-base hit off the fence to put two on with no outs. Roberts had no option but to remove Ohtani, who exited to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not complete the escape.

Banda came into the jam and right away fell behind. Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before driving in Varsho with a base hit to left field. France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock Banda out of the contest. Treinen entered next but also failed to stem the momentum: Bo Bichette and Barger punched RBI singles through the infield, capping a four-run barrage that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Blue Jays's capacity to withstand initial setbacks and answer has defined their whole run. They once again did it without George Springer, the hurt leadoff hitter who exited Game 3 after straining his right side.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what the Blue Jays required. Acquired mid-season while finishing recovery from elbow surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner stranded several runners and silenced the Los Angeles' dangerous lineup. He gave up one run on four base hits and three free passes before the manager called on first-year left-hander Mason Fluharty to confront the heart of the lineup in the sixth inning. He needed just 4 throws to retire Max Muncy and Edman, preserving a fragile advantage that quickly became comfortable.

Former starting pitcher Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' bats kept to struggle. Los Angeles have scored only three scores over their last 20 frames, an abrupt slowdown for a team that ranked among MLB's elite lineups all season.

Final Moments

The Los Angeles managed a run in the ninth inning when Edman grounded out to bring home Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's double put runners on base. But Louis Varland closed it down without allowing a rally to build.

After a night when the Blue Jays stranded a World Series-record 19 runners and fell apart after wave upon wave of missed chances, the fourth contest was ruthlessly effective. 6 different Blue Jays collected base hits, 5 drove in scores and the team converted almost every scoring chance available in the final innings.

Next Up

The victory guarantees the World Series trophy will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not won a title since Carter's iconic game-winning home run in 1993. They now are aware they are guaranteed a full crowd in Toronto on Friday evening – and possibly the next day – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 looms with the series reset and energy swinging north. Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Blue Jays's momentum. The Blue Jays counter with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Toronto chased Snell quickly in an 11-4 win.