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Less than a day following enduring one of the most exhausting defeats in World Series history, the Toronto Blue Jays played with complete control.

Guerrero smashed a two-run homer and Bieber delivered a composed outing as Toronto defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, squaring the World Series at two wins apiece and ensuring the matchup will head back to Canada.

Toronto had spent the early hours of Tuesday processing their 18-inning Game 3 loss – equal to the longest World Series game ever – a defeat that denied them the opportunity to lead the series and depleted both bullpens. Skipper John Schneider stated later that “the Dodgers won a game, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad provided emphatic proof.

Initial Innings

The Los Angeles again struck first. Muncy drew a walk in the second, moved up on a single and scored on Hernández's fly out. But the initial breakthrough did not shake a Blue Jays club that topped MLB with 49 come-from-behind wins this season.

They answered right away in the third. Lukes hit a one-out base hit to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate looking for a curveball. Ohtani threw a slider up and Guerrero sent it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his first extra-base hit of the series and his seventh homer this playoffs – a fresh team mark – restoring the Toronto's advantage after 13 scoreless innings and changing the momentum of the game.

Ohtani's Performance

That swing also ended Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 consecutive at-bats reaching base. The two-way phenomenon had smashed two home runs and reached safely a record nine times in the Los Angeles' third game comeback win. But on that night, he started on limited rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the prior marathon.

His fastball velocity sat below his regular-season average and he labored more as the contest wore on. Even so, he displayed glimpses of his typical command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and fanning six. He even walked in the first inning to continue his World Series streak. But the Blue Jays made him work: six base hits and four runs were credited to him in six-plus frames.

Seventh Inning Surge

The larger problem for the Dodgers was what followed when he finally lost energy.

Varsho started the seventh inning with a sharp single to right field, and Clement drilled a two-base hit off the fence to put two on with no outs. Dave Roberts had no option but to pull the starter, who exited to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Dodgers' relief corps could not finish the escape.

Anthony Banda came into the jam and right away trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez battled to a full count before driving in the runner with a base hit to left field. 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 entered next but also was unable to stop the rally: Bo Bichette and Barger hit run-scoring singles through the diamond, capping a four-run barrage that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Toronto's ability to absorb early blows and answer has defined their entire postseason. They once again succeeded without Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order man who left Game 3 after tweaking his oblique.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was everything the Blue Jays required. Traded for during the summer while finishing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the ex- award-winning winner stranded multiple runners and quieted the Dodgers' dangerous batting order. He gave up one earned run on four hits and three free passes before the manager summoned first-year left-hander Mason Fluharty to face the core of the order in the sixth. Fluharty required just 4 throws to retire Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a narrow advantage that quickly grew comfortable.

Former starter Chris Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' offense continued to struggle. The Dodgers have scored only three runs over their previous 20 frames, an abrupt downturn for a team that was among MLB's elite offenses all season.

Final Innings

The Dodgers managed a run in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman grounded out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Muncy's two-base hit put two on base. But Louis Varland finished the game without permitting a rally to develop.

After a night when Toronto left a World Series-record 19 runners and collapsed after repeated of wasted chances, Game 4 was ruthlessly effective. Six separate Blue Jays recorded base hits, 5 drove in scores and the squad cashed nearly every scoring chance available in the final innings.

Next Up

The victory guarantees the championship title will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not won a championship since Joe Carter's iconic walk-off homer in 1993. They now are aware they are guaranteed a full house in Toronto on Friday night – and possibly Saturday – no matter what occurs next in LA.

Game 5 looms with the matchup even and energy shifting to Toronto. Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Blue Jays'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 knocked out Snell quickly in an 11-4 win.