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Only 24 hours after staggering through one of the most exhausting losses in World Series annals, the Blue Jays displayed complete command.

Guerrero crushed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber provided a steady start as Toronto defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, tying the Fall Classic at two games each and guaranteeing the series will head back to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had passed the morning of the next day dealing with their 18-inning Game 3 loss – tied for the lengthiest Fall Classic game ever – a loss that denied them the chance to lead the matchup and burned through both relief corps. Manager Schneider stated afterwards that “the Dodgers won a game, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad offered convincing proof.

Early Innings

The Dodgers 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 breakthrough did not shake a Toronto club that led MLB with 49 comeback victories this year.

They responded immediately in the third. Lukes lined a one-out single to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate looking for a curveball. Ohtani threw a sweeper up and Guerrero drove it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his initial extra-base hit of the series and his seventh home run this playoffs – a fresh club mark – restoring the Toronto's advantage after 13 scoreless frames and changing the tone of the night.

Shohei's Night

That hit also ended Shohei Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 straight at-bats getting on base. The two-way phenomenon had smashed two home runs and got on base a record nine times in the Los Angeles' third game comeback win. But on that night, he started on short rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the prior extra-inning game.

His pitch speed was below his regular-season norm and he struggled more as the contest progressed. Even so, he showed flashes of his typical control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first to continue his Fall Classic streak. But the Toronto made him work: six base hits and four earned runs were credited to him in six-plus frames.

Late Game Surge

The larger problem for Los Angeles was what came next when he eventually ran out of energy.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh inning with a clean single to right field, and Ernie Clement drilled a double off the wall to put runners on with none out. Dave Roberts had no option but to pull Ohtani, who exited to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not complete the inning.

Anthony Banda inherited the mess and right away trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez battled to a full count before driving in the runner with a single to left. France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove the pitcher out of the game. Treinen entered next but also was unable to stem the momentum: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger hit run-scoring base hits through the infield, completing a four-run outburst that extended the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Toronto's capacity to withstand initial blows and answer has defined their whole run. They once again did it without Springer, the injured leadoff hitter who exited the third game after straining his oblique.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what Toronto needed. Acquired during the summer while finishing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the ex- award-winning winner left several runners and quieted the Dodgers' potent lineup. He allowed one earned run on four base hits and three free passes before Schneider called on rookie left-hander Fluharty to face the heart of the order in the sixth. Fluharty required just four throws to retire Max Muncy and Edman, protecting a fragile lead that soon grew safe.

Converted starter Chris Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' bats continued to sputter. The Dodgers have scored only three scores over their last 20 innings, an sudden downturn for a team that ranked among MLB's elite offenses all year.

Final Moments

The Dodgers scraped a score in the ninth when Edman grounded out to bring home 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 comeback to build.

Following a game when Toronto left a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and collapsed after wave upon wave of missed chances, the fourth contest was brutally efficient. Six different Blue Jays recorded hits, 5 drove in scores and the team cashed nearly every scoring chance presented in the final stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The victory guarantees the championship trophy will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not celebrated a title since Joe Carter's iconic walk-off homer in 1993. They now are aware they are assured a packed crowd 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 left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Blue Jays's surge. Toronto counter with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Toronto knocked out Snell early in an decisive victory.