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Only 24 hours following enduring one of the most exhausting losses in Fall Classic history, the Blue Jays displayed total command.

Guerrero smashed a two-run homer and Bieber delivered a steady outing as Toronto beat the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, tying the Fall Classic at two games each and ensuring the matchup will return to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had passed the early hours of Tuesday dealing with their 18-inning Game 3 loss – equal to the longest Fall Classic game ever – a defeat that denied them the chance to take the lead in the series and burned through both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider stated afterwards that “the Dodgers won a game, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his team offered convincing proof.

Initial Action

The Los Angeles again scored first. Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, moved up on a base hit and crossed the plate on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early score did not rattle a Toronto team that led Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind victories this year.

They responded immediately in the third inning. Nathan Lukes lined a one away single to centre and Guerrero came to the plate looking for a curveball. Shohei Ohtani left a sweeper up and Guerrero sent it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his first long hit of the series and his 7th home run this postseason – a new team record – restoring the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 scoreless frames and shifting the tone of the night.

Shohei's Performance

That swing also halted Shohei Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 straight plate appearances getting on base. The dual-threat star had smashed two home runs and reached safely 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 requiring an IV to recover from the previous extra-inning game.

Ohtani fastball velocity sat below his seasonal average and he struggled more as the contest wore on. Even so, he showed glimpses of his typical 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 Fall Classic streak. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six base hits and four runs were credited to him in six-plus innings.

Late Game Rally

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

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh inning with a clean hit to right field, and Clement smashed a two-base hit off the fence to put runners on with none out. Dave Roberts had little choice but to remove the starter, who exited to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Dodgers' relief corps could not complete the escape.

Anthony Banda inherited the jam and right away fell behind. Andrés Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before scoring Varsho with a single to left. France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove Banda out of the contest. Treinen came in next but also failed to stop the rally: Bichette and Addison Barger punched RBI base hits through the infield, completing a four-run outburst that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Blue Jays's capacity to absorb initial setbacks and answer has characterized their entire run. They once again did it without George Springer, the injured top-of-the-order man who left Game 3 after straining his right side.

Bieber, in contrast, was everything the Blue Jays required. Traded for mid-season while finishing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the ex- award-winning winner stranded several baserunners and quieted the Los Angeles' dangerous lineup. He allowed one run on four base hits and three free passes before Schneider called on rookie pitcher Fluharty to confront the core of the lineup in the sixth inning. He needed just 4 pitches to get out Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a narrow advantage that soon grew safe.

Converted starter Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' bats kept to struggle. The Dodgers have produced only three runs over their previous 20 frames, an abrupt downturn for a club that ranked among baseball's elite offenses all season.

Closing Moments

The Dodgers managed a score in the ninth when Edman hit into an out to score Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's double put runners aboard. But Louis Varland closed it down without permitting a comeback to develop.

Following a game when Toronto stranded a World Series-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after wave upon wave of missed opportunities, the fourth contest was ruthlessly effective. 6 separate Blue Jays recorded hits, five brought home runs and the team cashed almost every run-scoring opportunity presented in the final innings.

Next Up

The victory ensures the championship title will be presented at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not celebrated a championship since Carter's famous game-winning homer in '93. They now are aware 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 series even and energy shifting to Toronto. Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Toronto's surge. Toronto counter with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Blue Jays chased Snell quickly in an 11-4 victory.