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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 complete control.

Guerrero crushed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber delivered a steady start as Toronto defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, squaring the World Series at two games each and guaranteeing the series will return to Canada.

The Blue Jays had spent the morning of the next day processing their 18-inning Game 3 loss – tied for the longest World Series game ever – a loss that denied them the opportunity to lead the series and burned through both relief corps. Manager Schneider stated later that “the Dodgers won a game, not the championship”. A day later, his team offered convincing evidence.

Early Action

The Los Angeles again struck first. Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, advanced on a base hit and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial score did not rattle a Blue Jays club that topped MLB with 49 come-from-behind wins this year.

They answered right away in the third inning. Lukes lined a one away base hit to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate hunting a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani threw a sweeper up and he sent it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his initial extra-base hit of the series and his seventh homer this postseason – a new team mark – restoring the Toronto's lead after 13 scoreless frames and shifting the momentum of the night.

Shohei's Night

That hit also halted Shohei Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 straight at-bats getting on base. The dual-threat star had hit two home runs and reached safely a record nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 walk-off. But on Tuesday, he started on short rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the prior extra-inning game.

Ohtani pitch speed sat below his regular-season average and he labored more as the contest wore on. Even so, he showed flashes of his usual command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first to extend his World Series streak. But the Toronto made him work: six base hits and four earned runs were credited to him in six-plus frames.

Late Game Rally

The larger problem for the Dodgers was what followed when he finally lost steam.

Varsho opened the seventh inning with a clean single to right field, and Clement smashed a two-base hit off the fence to put two on with none out. Roberts had no option but to remove Ohtani, who exited to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Dodgers' relief corps could not finish the escape.

Banda inherited the mess and right away fell behind. Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before driving in the runner with a single to left field. Ty France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock Banda out of the game. Treinen came in next but also failed to stem the rally: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger punched RBI base hits through the diamond, capping a four-score outburst that extended the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Toronto's ability to absorb early blows and respond has defined their entire run. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order man who left the third game after tweaking his right side.

Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what Toronto required. Traded for during the summer while finishing recovery from elbow surgery, the former Cy Young winner stranded several baserunners and silenced the Los Angeles' potent lineup. He allowed one earned run on four hits and three free passes before the manager summoned first-year left-hander Mason Fluharty to face the core of the lineup in the sixth inning. Fluharty needed just four throws to get out Max Muncy and Edman, preserving a fragile lead that quickly grew safe.

Converted starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' offense kept to struggle. Los Angeles have scored only three scores over their last 20 frames, an abrupt downturn for a club that was among MLB's elite lineups all year.

Closing Moments

The Dodgers scraped a run in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman grounded out to score Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's two-base hit put two aboard. But Louis Varland finished the game without allowing a rally to develop.

Following a game when Toronto stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after wave upon wave of missed opportunities, the fourth contest was ruthlessly effective. 6 different Toronto players collected hits, 5 drove in scores and the squad cashed almost every scoring chance presented in the final innings.

Looking Ahead

The win ensures the World Series trophy will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not won a championship since Carter's iconic walk-off homer in 1993. They now are aware they are assured a packed crowd in Canada on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game looms with the series reset and energy shifting to Toronto. Los Angeles pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Toronto's momentum. The Blue Jays counter with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Blue Jays chased the starter quickly in an decisive win.