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Less than a day following enduring one of the most exhausting losses in Fall Classic history, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed complete command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber delivered a steady outing as Toronto defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, squaring the World Series at two games each and guaranteeing the series will return to Toronto.

Toronto had spent the early hours of Tuesday dealing with their marathon Game 3 loss – tied for the longest World Series contest ever – a defeat that cost them the chance to take the lead in the matchup and burned through both bullpens. Manager John Schneider insisted later that “they took a contest, not the championship”. A day later, his squad provided emphatic proof.

Initial Action

The Dodgers again scored first. Max Muncy walked in the second, advanced on a base hit and crossed the plate on Hernández's fly out. But the early score did not shake a Toronto team that topped MLB with 49 comeback victories this season.

They responded right away in the third. Lukes lined a one-out base hit to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate looking for a curveball. Ohtani threw a slider up and Guerrero sent it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his initial extra-base hit of the series and his seventh homer this playoffs – a new team mark – regaining the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 shutout frames and changing the momentum of the night.

Ohtani's Performance

That hit also halted Shohei Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 consecutive plate appearances reaching base. The two-way star had smashed two home runs and got on base a record nine times in the Dodgers' third game walk-off. But on that night, he started on short rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the prior extra-inning game.

His pitch speed was below his seasonal average and he struggled more as the contest progressed. Nonetheless, he displayed flashes of his usual control, 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 World Series record. But the Toronto made him work: six hits and four runs were charged to him in over six frames.

Late Game Rally

The bigger problem for the Dodgers was what came next when he finally lost steam.

Daulton Varsho started the seventh with a sharp hit to right field, and Clement drilled a double off the wall to put runners on with no outs. Roberts had no option but to pull Ohtani, who exited to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Dodgers' bullpen could not complete the escape.

Banda inherited the jam and right away fell behind. Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before scoring the runner with a single to left. Ty France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove the pitcher out of the game. Treinen came in next but also failed to stop the momentum: Bichette and Barger punched run-scoring singles through the diamond, completing a four-run outburst that extended the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Blue Jays's ability to withstand early blows and answer has defined their whole postseason. They once again did it without George Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order hitter who exited Game 3 after straining his oblique.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what the Blue Jays required. Traded for during the summer while completing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the former award-winning winner stranded multiple runners and quieted the Dodgers' potent lineup. He gave up one run on four hits and three free passes before the manager summoned first-year left-hander Mason Fluharty to confront the heart of the lineup in the sixth. He needed just four throws to get out Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a narrow advantage that soon grew safe.

Former starter Chris Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' bats kept to sputter. Los Angeles have produced only 3 runs over their previous 20 innings, an sudden slowdown for a club that ranked among MLB's elite lineups all year.

Final Moments

The Dodgers managed a score in the ninth when Tommy Edman hit into an out to score Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's two-base hit put two aboard. But Varland closed it down without allowing a comeback to develop.

After a game when Toronto stranded a World Series-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after repeated of missed opportunities, the fourth contest was ruthlessly effective. 6 separate Toronto players collected hits, five brought home scores and the squad converted almost every scoring chance presented in the late innings.

Looking Ahead

The win ensures the World Series title will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not won a title since Carter's iconic game-winning homer in '93. They now know they are guaranteed a packed crowd in Canada on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what happens next in LA.

The fifth game looms with the matchup reset and momentum shifting north. Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Blue Jays's momentum. Toronto respond with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Blue Jays chased the starter early in an 11-4 victory.