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Less than a day following enduring one of the most draining defeats in World Series annals, the Blue Jays played with total control.

Guerrero crushed a two-run home run and Bieber provided a steady outing as the Blue Jays beat the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, tying the World Series at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the matchup will return to Canada.

Toronto had spent the morning of Tuesday dealing with their 18-inning Game 3 loss – equal to the longest Fall Classic game ever – a defeat that cost them the opportunity to lead the series and depleted both bullpens. Skipper John Schneider stated afterwards that “they took a contest, not the championship”. A day later, his team offered emphatic proof.

Early Innings

The Dodgers again scored first. Muncy walked in the second, moved up on a single and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the early breakthrough did not shake a Blue Jays team that topped Major League Baseball with 49 comeback victories this year.

They answered immediately in the third inning. Lukes hit a one away single to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate hunting a curveball. Shohei Ohtani left 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 homer this playoffs – a new club mark – regaining the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 scoreless frames and shifting the momentum of the game.

Shohei's Performance

That swing also halted Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 consecutive at-bats reaching base. The dual-threat star had hit two home runs and reached safely a historic nine times in the Dodgers' third game walk-off. But on that night, he started on limited rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the prior marathon.

Ohtani pitch speed sat below his seasonal average and he labored more as the game wore on. Even so, he displayed glimpses of his typical control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to extend his Fall Classic streak. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six hits and four earned runs were credited to him in six-plus frames.

Seventh Inning Surge

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

Varsho started the seventh inning with a clean hit to right, and Clement drilled a two-base hit off the fence to put two on with none out. Dave Roberts had no option but to remove the starter, who departed to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not finish the escape.

Banda inherited the mess and right away trailed in the count. Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before scoring the runner with a base hit to left. Ty France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove Banda out of the contest. Blake Treinen came in next but also failed to stem the rally: Bo Bichette and Barger punched RBI singles through the diamond, capping a four-run outburst that extended the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Toronto's ability to withstand early setbacks and answer has defined their entire postseason. They once again did it without Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order man who exited Game 3 after straining his oblique.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what Toronto required. Acquired mid-season while completing recovery from elbow surgery, the former award-winning winner left several runners and quieted the Los Angeles' dangerous batting order. He gave up one run on four hits and three free passes before Schneider called on first-year pitcher Fluharty to face the core of the lineup in the sixth inning. Fluharty required just 4 pitches to retire Max Muncy and Edman, protecting a narrow advantage that soon grew comfortable.

Converted starter Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' bats kept to sputter. The Dodgers have produced only 3 runs over their previous 20 innings, an sudden downturn for a team that ranked among baseball's elite offenses all year.

Closing Innings

The Los Angeles managed a run in the ninth when Tommy Edman hit into an out to bring home Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's two-base hit put two aboard. But Louis Varland finished the game without allowing a comeback to build.

After a game when Toronto stranded a World Series-record 19 runners and collapsed after repeated of wasted chances, Game 4 was ruthlessly efficient. 6 different Blue Jays recorded base hits, 5 drove in runs and the team converted nearly every scoring opportunity available in the late innings.

Looking Ahead

The victory ensures the World Series trophy will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not celebrated a championship since Carter's famous game-winning home run in 1993. They now are aware they are assured a full house in Toronto on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what occurs next in LA.

Game 5 approaches with the matchup reset and energy swinging north. Los Angeles left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Blue Jays's surge. The Blue Jays counter with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Blue Jays chased the starter quickly in an decisive victory.