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Only 24 hours following staggering through one of the most draining defeats in World Series annals, the Toronto Blue Jays played with complete control.

Guerrero crushed a two-run home run and Bieber provided a composed outing as the Blue Jays defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, tying the World Series at two wins apiece and ensuring the matchup will return to Canada.

Toronto had passed the morning of the next day dealing with their marathon Game 3 loss – equal to the longest World Series contest ever – a loss that denied them the chance to lead the series and depleted both bullpens. Skipper Schneider stated later that “they won a contest, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his team provided convincing proof.

Initial Innings

The Los Angeles again scored first. Muncy walked in the second, moved up on a single and scored on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early score did not rattle a Blue Jays team that topped Major League Baseball with 49 comeback wins this season.

They responded immediately in the third. Nathan Lukes hit a one-out single to center field and Guerrero came to the plate looking for a curveball. Shohei Ohtani threw a sweeper up and Guerrero drove it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his initial extra-base hit of the World Series and his seventh home run this postseason – a new club mark – restoring the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 shutout frames and changing the tone of the night.

Ohtani's Performance

That hit also ended Shohei Ohtani's history-making run of 11 consecutive plate appearances reaching base. The two-way phenomenon had smashed two home runs and got on base a record nine times in the Los Angeles' third game walk-off. But on that night, he started on limited rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the prior marathon.

Ohtani pitch speed was under his seasonal average and he labored more as the contest wore on. Nonetheless, he displayed flashes of his usual control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to extend his World Series streak. But the Toronto made him work: six base hits and four earned runs were charged to him in over six innings.

Seventh Inning Rally

The bigger issue for Los Angeles was what came next when Ohtani eventually ran out of energy.

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

Anthony Banda came into the jam and immediately fell behind. Giménez fought to a full count before driving in Varsho with a base hit to left. France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove the pitcher out of the game. Treinen came in next but also was unable to stem the rally: Bichette and Barger punched run-scoring base hits through the diamond, completing a four-score barrage that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

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

Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what Toronto required. Traded for mid-season while completing rehab from elbow surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner left multiple runners and quieted the Dodgers' potent batting order. He gave up one run on four base hits and three walks before the manager called on first-year left-hander Mason Fluharty to face the heart of the order in the sixth inning. He needed just 4 pitches to retire Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a narrow lead that soon became comfortable.

Former starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' offense kept to struggle. Los Angeles have produced only three runs over their last 20 innings, an abrupt slowdown for a club that was among baseball's elite lineups all year.

Closing Moments

The Dodgers managed a score in the ninth inning when Edman hit into an out to bring home Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's double put two aboard. But Louis Varland finished the game without allowing a comeback to develop.

Following a night when the Blue Jays stranded a World Series-record 19 runners and fell apart after wave upon wave of missed opportunities, the fourth contest was brutally efficient. Six separate Blue Jays recorded hits, 5 drove in runs and the team converted nearly every run-scoring opportunity presented in the final innings.

Next Up

The victory guarantees the World Series trophy will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not won a title since Joe Carter's famous walk-off home run in '93. They now know they are guaranteed a packed house in Toronto on Friday night – and perhaps the next day – no matter what happens next in LA.

Game 5 looms with the matchup reset and energy swinging north. Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Toronto's surge. Toronto counter with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Toronto chased Snell quickly in an decisive win.