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Only 24 hours following staggering through one of the most draining losses in Fall Classic annals, the Blue Jays played with total command.

Guerrero smashed a two-run homer and Bieber provided a composed outing as the Blue Jays defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, tying the Fall Classic at two games each and ensuring the series will return to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had passed the early hours of Tuesday dealing with their marathon third game defeat – equal to the lengthiest Fall Classic game ever – a defeat that cost them the opportunity to lead the matchup and burned through both relief corps. Skipper Schneider insisted afterwards that “the Dodgers won a game, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad provided convincing evidence.

Initial Action

The Dodgers again struck first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second, advanced on a single and scored on Hernández's fly out. But the initial breakthrough did not shake a Blue Jays club that topped MLB with 49 comeback victories this season.

They responded right away in the third inning. Lukes hit a one away single to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate hunting a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani threw a sweeper up and Guerrero drove it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his initial long hit of the series and his 7th homer this playoffs – a fresh club record – regaining the Toronto's lead after 13 shutout frames and changing the tone of the night.

Ohtani's Night

That swing also halted Shohei Ohtani's history-making run of 11 consecutive at-bats reaching base. The dual-threat star had hit two homers and reached safely a historic nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 comeback win. But on Tuesday, he started on limited rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the prior marathon.

Ohtani fastball velocity was below his regular-season norm and he struggled more as the game wore on. Nonetheless, he showed glimpses of his typical control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to extend his Fall Classic record. But the Blue Jays made him work: six hits and four runs were charged to him in six-plus innings.

Late Game Surge

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

Varsho started the seventh with a clean hit to right, and Ernie Clement drilled a two-base hit off the fence to put runners on with no outs. Roberts had little choice but to remove Ohtani, who exited to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not finish the inning.

Banda came into the mess and right away fell behind. Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before scoring 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 enough to knock Banda out of the contest. Blake Treinen came in next but also failed to stop the rally: Bichette and Barger punched RBI singles through the diamond, completing a four-run outburst that extended the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Toronto's ability to absorb initial setbacks and respond has defined their entire postseason. They once again did it without Springer, the injured top-of-the-order hitter who left Game 3 after straining his oblique.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what Toronto needed. Traded for during the summer while finishing recovery from elbow surgery, the ex- award-winning winner left multiple baserunners and silenced the Los Angeles' dangerous lineup. He allowed one run on four hits and three free passes before Schneider summoned rookie pitcher Mason Fluharty to face the core of the lineup in the sixth. He needed just four throws to retire Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a narrow lead that soon became comfortable.

Converted starter Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' offense kept to sputter. The Dodgers have produced only 3 runs over their previous 20 frames, an sudden downturn for a club that ranked among baseball's elite lineups all year.

Closing Innings

The Los Angeles scraped a score in the ninth when Tommy Edman grounded out to bring home Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's double put two aboard. But Louis Varland finished the game without allowing a rally to develop.

After a night when the Blue Jays left a World Series-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after wave upon wave of missed chances, Game 4 was ruthlessly effective. 6 separate Blue Jays recorded base hits, 5 drove in runs and the squad converted nearly every scoring chance available in the late innings.

Next Up

The win ensures the World Series title will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not celebrated a championship since Carter's iconic walk-off home run in 1993. They now know they are guaranteed a packed crowd in Toronto on Friday evening – and perhaps the next day – no matter what happens next in LA.

The fifth game looms with the matchup reset and momentum shifting north. Dodgers left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Toronto's surge. The Blue Jays counter with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Toronto knocked out Snell early in an 11-4 win.