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Only 24 hours following staggering through one of the most exhausting losses in Fall Classic annals, the Blue Jays played with total command.

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 night at Dodger Stadium, tying the World Series at two wins apiece and ensuring the series will return to Canada.

Toronto had passed the morning of Tuesday processing their marathon third game defeat – equal to the lengthiest World Series contest ever – a defeat that cost them the opportunity to take the lead in the series and depleted both bullpens. Manager John Schneider stated afterwards that “the Dodgers took a contest, not the World Series”. A day later, his team offered emphatic evidence.

Early Innings

The Los Angeles again scored first. Max Muncy walked in the second, advanced on a single and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial breakthrough did not rattle a Toronto club that led Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind victories this season.

They responded immediately in the third. Nathan Lukes hit a one away base hit to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in hunting a breaking ball. Ohtani threw a sweeper up and he sent it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his first extra-base hit of the World Series and his seventh homer this playoffs – a fresh club mark – restoring the Toronto's advantage after 13 shutout innings and shifting the tone of the game.

Shohei's Performance

That swing also ended Shohei Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 straight at-bats reaching base. The two-way phenomenon had smashed two homers and got on base a record nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 comeback win. But on that night, he started on limited rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the prior extra-inning game.

His pitch speed sat under his seasonal average and he labored more as the contest progressed. Nonetheless, he showed flashes of his typical control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and striking out six. He even walked in the first inning to extend his Fall Classic streak. But the Blue Jays made him work: six base hits and four runs were credited to him in six-plus innings.

Late Game Rally

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

Varsho opened the seventh with a clean hit to right, and Clement smashed a two-base hit off the wall to put runners on with no outs. Roberts had no option but to remove the starter, who departed to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Dodgers' relief corps could not complete the escape.

Anthony Banda inherited the mess and immediately trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before driving in the runner with a single to left field. France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock Banda out of the game. Blake Treinen entered next but also was unable to stem the rally: Bichette and Addison Barger hit RBI base hits through the diamond, capping a four-score barrage that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Blue Jays's capacity to withstand initial blows and respond has defined their entire postseason. They once again did it without George Springer, the injured top-of-the-order hitter who left Game 3 after straining his right side.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was everything Toronto required. Acquired during the summer while completing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the former award-winning winner stranded multiple baserunners and quieted the Dodgers' potent batting order. He allowed one earned run on four hits and three walks before the manager called on first-year left-hander Mason Fluharty to confront the heart of the order in the sixth. He required just 4 pitches to retire Muncy and Edman, protecting a fragile lead that soon became safe.

Converted starting pitcher Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' offense kept to sputter. The Dodgers have produced only three runs over their previous 20 innings, an abrupt downturn for a team that ranked among MLB's elite lineups all season.

Final Innings

The Los Angeles managed a score in the ninth when Edman grounded out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's double put two on base. But Louis Varland finished the game without permitting a rally to develop.

After a night when Toronto stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and fell apart after repeated of wasted chances, the fourth contest was ruthlessly efficient. 6 different Toronto players recorded hits, 5 brought home runs and the team converted almost every scoring opportunity available in the final stanzas.

Next Up

The victory ensures the World Series title will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not won a title since Carter's iconic game-winning home run in '93. They now know they are guaranteed a packed house in Canada on Friday evening – and perhaps the next day – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game looms with the series even and energy swinging north. Los Angeles pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Toronto's momentum. Toronto respond with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Blue Jays knocked out Snell early in an decisive win.