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Less than a day after enduring one of the most exhausting losses in Fall Classic history, the Toronto Blue Jays played with complete command.

Guerrero crushed a two-run home run and Bieber provided a steady start as the Blue Jays beat the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, tying the World Series at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the series will return to Canada.

Toronto had spent the morning of the next day processing their marathon Game 3 loss – equal to the lengthiest Fall Classic game ever – a defeat that cost them the opportunity to take the lead in the series and depleted both bullpens. Manager Schneider stated afterwards that “they took a game, not the World Series”. A day later, his team provided convincing evidence.

Initial Action

The Los Angeles again scored first. Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, advanced on a single and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the initial breakthrough did not rattle a Toronto team that led MLB with 49 comeback victories this season.

They responded right away in the third inning. Lukes lined a one-out single to centre and Guerrero came to the plate hunting a breaking ball. Ohtani threw a slider up and he sent it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his initial extra-base hit of the series and his 7th homer this postseason – a fresh club mark – regaining the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 scoreless innings and changing the tone of the game.

Shohei's Night

That swing also ended Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 straight plate appearances reaching base. The two-way phenomenon had smashed two home runs and reached safely a historic nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 walk-off. But on Tuesday, he started on short rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the previous extra-inning game.

Ohtani pitch speed sat below his seasonal norm and he labored more as the game wore on. Even so, he showed flashes of his usual control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and striking out six. He even walked in the first inning to continue his Fall Classic record. But the Toronto made him work: six base hits and four earned runs were credited to him in six-plus innings.

Seventh Inning Rally

The bigger problem for Los Angeles was what followed when Ohtani eventually ran out of energy.

Varsho opened the seventh inning with a sharp single to right, and Clement smashed a two-base hit off the wall to put runners on with no outs. Dave Roberts had no option but to pull Ohtani, who departed to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not finish the inning.

Banda inherited the jam and right away trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before driving in Varsho with a base hit to left. Ty France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove the pitcher out of the contest. Blake Treinen came in next but also was unable to stop the rally: Bo Bichette and Barger punched RBI base hits through the infield, capping a four-run barrage that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

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

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was everything Toronto required. Traded for during the summer while completing rehab from elbow surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner stranded multiple runners and silenced the Los Angeles' dangerous batting order. He gave up one run on four base hits and three free passes before Schneider called on rookie pitcher Fluharty to face the heart of the lineup in the sixth. Fluharty required just 4 pitches to get out Muncy and Edman, protecting a fragile lead that soon grew comfortable.

Former starting pitcher Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' bats continued to struggle. Los Angeles have produced only 3 runs over their last 20 frames, an abrupt slowdown for a club that was among MLB's top offenses all season.

Closing Innings

The Dodgers managed a run in the ninth inning when Edman grounded out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's two-base hit put runners on base. But Varland finished the game without allowing a comeback to build.

After a game when Toronto stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after repeated of missed opportunities, the fourth contest was brutally effective. Six different Toronto players recorded base hits, 5 drove in scores and the squad cashed almost every run-scoring opportunity presented in the final stanzas.

Next Up

The victory ensures the World Series trophy will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a title since Carter's iconic walk-off home run in '93. They now are aware they are assured a full crowd in Toronto on Friday evening – and perhaps the next day – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 approaches with the matchup even and energy swinging to Toronto. Los Angeles pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Blue Jays's momentum. The Blue Jays counter with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Blue Jays knocked out Snell early in an 11-4 win.