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Only 24 hours following enduring one of the most exhausting defeats in Fall Classic history, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed complete control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber provided a composed outing as Toronto defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, tying the Fall Classic at two games each and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Toronto.

Toronto had spent the morning of Tuesday dealing with their marathon Game 3 loss – tied for the lengthiest Fall Classic game ever – a loss that denied them the opportunity to lead the series and depleted both relief corps. Manager Schneider stated afterwards that “they won a game, not the World Series”. A day later, his squad provided convincing evidence.

Initial Action

The Los Angeles again struck first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, advanced on a base hit and scored on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the early breakthrough did not shake a Blue Jays club that led MLB with 49 comeback wins this year.

They answered right away in the third inning. Nathan Lukes lined a one-out base hit to centre and Guerrero came to the plate looking for a curveball. Ohtani threw a sweeper up and Guerrero drove it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his first long hit of the series and his 7th homer this postseason – a new club record – regaining the Blue Jays's lead after 13 scoreless frames and changing the tone of the game.

Shohei's Performance

That swing also halted Ohtani's history-making run of 11 straight plate appearances reaching base. The dual-threat star had hit two home runs and reached safely a record nine times in the Los Angeles' third game comeback win. But on Tuesday, he started on limited rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the previous extra-inning game.

His fastball velocity was below his seasonal average and he struggled more as the contest wore on. Nonetheless, he displayed flashes of his typical control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to extend his World Series streak. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six hits and four earned runs were charged to him in over six innings.

Late Game Surge

The larger issue for Los Angeles was what followed when Ohtani eventually lost energy.

Varsho opened the seventh with a sharp single to right field, and Clement smashed a two-base hit off the wall to put two on with no outs. Dave Roberts had little choice but to pull Ohtani, who exited to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not finish the escape.

Anthony Banda inherited the mess and right away trailed in the count. Giménez battled to a full count before driving in Varsho with a base hit to left field. France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock Banda out of the game. Blake Treinen entered next but also was unable to stop the momentum: Bichette and Addison Barger hit run-scoring singles through the infield, completing a four-score barrage that extended the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Blue Jays's capacity to withstand early blows and respond has characterized their entire run. They once again did it without Springer, the injured top-of-the-order man who exited Game 3 after tweaking his right side.

Bieber, in contrast, was everything Toronto required. Traded for during the summer while finishing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the former award-winning winner stranded several 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 pitcher Fluharty to confront the core of the order in the sixth inning. He needed just 4 pitches to retire Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a narrow lead that quickly became comfortable.

Converted starting pitcher Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' offense kept to struggle. The Dodgers have scored only 3 runs over their previous 20 innings, an sudden slowdown for a team that ranked among baseball's elite lineups all season.

Closing Innings

The Los Angeles managed a score in the ninth inning when Edman grounded out to bring home Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's two-base hit put runners on base. But Louis Varland finished the game without allowing a rally to build.

Following a game when the Blue Jays stranded a World Series-record 19 runners and collapsed after wave upon wave of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was brutally efficient. 6 separate Toronto players collected base hits, 5 brought home scores and the squad cashed nearly every scoring opportunity available in the late stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The victory ensures the championship trophy will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not celebrated a championship since Joe Carter's famous walk-off homer in 1993. They now are aware they are guaranteed a packed house in Canada on Friday evening – and possibly the next day – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game looms with the series even and momentum swinging to Toronto. Dodgers left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Toronto's momentum. Toronto respond with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Blue Jays knocked out the starter early in an decisive win.