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Less than a day after staggering through one of the most draining losses in Fall Classic annals, the Toronto Blue Jays played with total command.

Guerrero smashed a two-run homer and Bieber provided a composed outing as the Blue Jays defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, squaring the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Canada.

The Blue Jays had passed the morning of Tuesday processing their marathon third game defeat – equal to the lengthiest World Series contest ever – a defeat that denied them the chance to take the lead in the series and burned through both relief corps. Manager Schneider stated afterwards that “the Dodgers took a contest, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his team provided convincing evidence.

Early Innings

The Dodgers again scored first. Muncy walked in the second inning, advanced on a single and scored on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial score did not shake a Toronto team that topped MLB with 49 comeback victories this year.

They responded immediately in the third inning. Lukes hit a one away base hit to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate looking for a breaking ball. Ohtani threw a sweeper up and he drove it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his initial extra-base hit of the series and his 7th homer this postseason – a fresh team record – regaining the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 scoreless frames and shifting the tone of the game.

Shohei's Night

That hit also halted Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 straight at-bats getting on base. The two-way phenomenon had smashed two homers and got on base a historic nine times in the Dodgers' third game comeback win. But on Tuesday, he started on short rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the prior marathon.

Ohtani pitch speed was under his regular-season norm and he struggled more as the contest progressed. Nonetheless, he showed glimpses of his usual command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and striking out six. He even walked in the first inning to continue his Fall Classic record. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six hits and four earned runs were charged to him in over six innings.

Late Game Surge

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

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh inning with a sharp single to right, and Ernie Clement smashed a double off the fence to put two on with none out. Dave Roberts had no option but to pull Ohtani, who exited to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Dodgers' bullpen could not finish the inning.

Anthony Banda came into the jam and immediately trailed in the count. Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before driving in the runner with a base hit to left. Ty France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock the pitcher out of the contest. Blake Treinen came in next but also failed to stem the momentum: Bo Bichette and Barger punched RBI singles through the infield, completing a four-score outburst that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Toronto's capacity to withstand early setbacks and respond has defined their whole run. They once again did it without George Springer, the injured leadoff hitter who left the third game after tweaking his right side.

Bieber, in contrast, was everything Toronto required. Traded for during the summer while finishing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the ex- award-winning winner left multiple baserunners and quieted the Los Angeles' potent lineup. He gave up one earned run on four base hits and three free passes before Schneider called on rookie left-hander Mason Fluharty to face the core of the order in the sixth inning. He needed just 4 pitches to retire Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a fragile lead that quickly became comfortable.

Converted starting pitcher Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' offense continued to struggle. Los Angeles have produced only 3 runs over their previous 20 frames, an abrupt slowdown for a club that was among MLB's elite offenses all season.

Closing Moments

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

After a game when Toronto left a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and collapsed after wave upon wave of wasted opportunities, Game 4 was ruthlessly effective. Six separate Toronto players collected hits, 5 brought home scores and the squad cashed nearly every run-scoring chance presented in the final innings.

Next Up

The win guarantees the World Series title will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not celebrated a championship since Joe Carter's famous game-winning homer in '93. They now know they are guaranteed a packed house in Toronto on Friday night – and possibly the next day – no matter what happens next in LA.

Game 5 approaches with the series even and momentum swinging to Toronto. Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Toronto's surge. The Blue Jays counter with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Blue Jays chased the starter early in an 11-4 win.