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Less than a day following enduring one of the most exhausting defeats in World Series annals, the Blue Jays played with complete command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber delivered a steady start as the Blue Jays beat the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, tying the World Series at two games each and ensuring the matchup will head back to Canada.

Toronto had spent the morning of the next day dealing with their 18-inning third game defeat – equal to the lengthiest World Series contest ever – a defeat that cost them the chance to lead the matchup and burned through both bullpens. Skipper Schneider insisted afterwards that “they took a contest, not the World Series”. A day later, his squad offered emphatic proof.

Initial Action

The Dodgers again struck first. Max Muncy walked in the second inning, moved up on a single and scored on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early breakthrough did not rattle a Toronto team that topped Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind victories this season.

They responded right away in the third inning. Lukes lined a one-out base hit to center field and Guerrero stepped in looking for a curveball. Ohtani threw a sweeper up and he sent it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his first long hit of the World Series and his 7th home run this playoffs – a new club record – regaining the Toronto's lead after 13 shutout innings and changing the momentum of the night.

Ohtani's Night

That hit also ended Shohei Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 straight at-bats reaching base. The dual-threat phenomenon had hit two home runs and got on base a historic nine times in the Dodgers' third game walk-off. But on that night, he started on short rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the prior extra-inning game.

Ohtani pitch speed sat under his regular-season norm and he labored more as the game progressed. Even so, he showed flashes of his usual command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and fanning six. He even walked in the first inning to extend his Fall Classic record. But the Blue Jays made him work: six base hits and four runs were charged to him in six-plus innings.

Late Game Rally

The larger issue for the Dodgers was what followed when Ohtani eventually lost steam.

Varsho opened the seventh with a clean hit to right field, and Clement drilled a double off the wall to put runners on with none out. Roberts had no option but to pull the starter, who departed to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not finish the inning.

Banda inherited the jam and immediately trailed in the count. Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before driving in Varsho with a single to left field. Ty France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove Banda out of the game. Blake Treinen entered next but also failed to stem the momentum: Bichette and Addison Barger punched run-scoring singles through the infield, completing a four-run barrage that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Blue Jays's capacity to withstand initial setbacks and respond has defined their whole run. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order hitter who left Game 3 after tweaking his right side.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was everything Toronto required. Traded for mid-season while finishing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner stranded several baserunners and quieted the Dodgers' potent batting order. He gave up one run on four hits and three free passes before the manager called on rookie left-hander Fluharty to confront the core of the lineup in the sixth inning. Fluharty needed just 4 throws to retire Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a narrow lead that soon grew comfortable.

Converted starter Chris Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' bats continued to struggle. The Dodgers have scored only three scores over their last 20 innings, an sudden downturn for a club that was among baseball's elite lineups all year.

Closing Moments

The Los Angeles scraped a run in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman hit into an out to score Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's two-base hit put two on base. 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 baserunners and fell apart after wave upon wave of wasted chances, Game 4 was ruthlessly effective. Six different Toronto players recorded base hits, five brought home scores and the squad cashed nearly every run-scoring chance available in the late stanzas.

Next Up

The win guarantees the World Series title will be presented at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a title since Joe Carter's famous game-winning home run in 1993. They now know they are assured a packed crowd in Toronto on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game approaches with the matchup even and momentum shifting to Toronto. Dodgers left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Blue Jays's momentum. The Blue Jays respond with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Toronto knocked out Snell early in an decisive win.