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

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run homer and Bieber provided a composed outing as Toronto defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, tying the Fall Classic at two games each and guaranteeing the series will head back to Toronto.

Toronto had passed the early hours of Tuesday dealing with their marathon third game defeat – equal to the lengthiest Fall Classic game ever – a loss that cost them the chance to take the lead in the matchup and burned through both bullpens. Manager John Schneider insisted afterwards that “they took a game, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad offered emphatic proof.

Initial Action

The Los Angeles again scored first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, advanced on a base hit and scored on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial score did not shake a Blue Jays team that led Major League Baseball with 49 comeback wins this year.

They answered right away in the third. Lukes lined a one away base hit to center field and Guerrero came to the plate hunting a breaking ball. Ohtani left a sweeper up and Guerrero sent it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his first long hit of the series and his seventh home run this postseason – a new club mark – restoring the Toronto's lead after 13 scoreless innings and shifting the tone of the game.

Shohei's Night

That swing also ended Shohei Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 consecutive at-bats reaching base. The two-way star had smashed two homers and got on base a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 comeback win. But on that night, he took the mound on short rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the previous extra-inning game.

Ohtani pitch speed sat below his seasonal average and he struggled more as the game progressed. Even so, he displayed flashes of his usual control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to extend his Fall Classic record. But the Blue Jays made him work: six base hits and four runs were charged to him in over six innings.

Seventh Inning Rally

The bigger problem for Los Angeles was what came next when Ohtani eventually lost steam.

Daulton Varsho started the seventh inning with a sharp hit 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 remove the starter, who exited to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Dodgers' bullpen could not finish the inning.

Anthony Banda came into the jam and immediately fell behind. Andrés Giménez fought to a full count before driving in Varsho with a single to left. Ty France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove the pitcher out of the game. Blake Treinen entered next but also was unable to stop the rally: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger punched RBI base hits through the diamond, capping a four-run barrage that extended the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

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

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what Toronto required. Traded for mid-season while completing rehab from elbow surgery, the former award-winning winner stranded multiple baserunners and silenced the Los Angeles' potent batting order. He allowed one earned run on four hits and three walks before Schneider called on first-year pitcher Mason Fluharty to confront the core of the order in the sixth inning. He required just four pitches to retire Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a narrow lead that quickly grew comfortable.

Converted starter Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' bats continued to struggle. Los Angeles have produced only 3 scores over their previous 20 frames, an abrupt downturn for a club that ranked 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 base on balls and Muncy's two-base hit put two on base. But Varland finished the game without allowing a comeback to develop.

After a game when Toronto left a World Series-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after wave upon wave of missed chances, Game 4 was ruthlessly effective. 6 separate Toronto players collected hits, 5 brought home runs and the squad cashed nearly every run-scoring chance available in the final stanzas.

Next Up

The win guarantees the championship trophy will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not won a title since Joe Carter's iconic walk-off homer in 1993. They now are aware they are assured a packed house in Toronto on Friday night – and perhaps the next day – no matter what happens next in LA.

Game 5 looms with the series even and energy shifting to Toronto. Los Angeles left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Blue Jays's momentum. The Blue Jays respond with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Blue Jays knocked out Snell quickly in an 11-4 victory.