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Only 24 hours after staggering through one of the most exhausting defeats in Fall Classic annals, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed complete command.

Guerrero smashed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber provided a composed outing as the Blue Jays defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, tying the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the series will return to Canada.

The Blue Jays had passed the morning of the next day dealing with their 18-inning Game 3 loss – tied for the lengthiest Fall Classic contest ever – a loss that denied them the opportunity to take the lead in the matchup and burned through both bullpens. Skipper Schneider stated afterwards that “they won a contest, not the championship”. A day later, his team provided emphatic proof.

Initial Innings

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

They responded right away in the third inning. Lukes hit a one away base hit to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in hunting a curveball. Shohei Ohtani threw a sweeper up and Guerrero sent it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his first extra-base hit of the series and his 7th homer this postseason – a fresh team record – restoring the Toronto's advantage after 13 shutout innings and shifting the momentum of the night.

Shohei's Performance

That swing also halted Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 straight at-bats reaching base. The two-way star had smashed two homers and reached safely a record nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 walk-off. But on that night, he took the mound on limited rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the previous extra-inning game.

Ohtani fastball velocity sat under his regular-season norm and he struggled more as the contest wore on. Nonetheless, he displayed flashes of his typical command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first to continue his Fall Classic record. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six hits and four runs were charged to him in six-plus frames.

Late Game Rally

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

Varsho opened the seventh with a sharp hit to right field, and Ernie Clement smashed a two-base hit off the fence to put runners on with none out. Roberts had no option but to remove the starter, who departed to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Dodgers' bullpen could not finish the escape.

Anthony Banda inherited the jam and right away trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before driving in the runner with a single to left field. Ty France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove Banda out of the contest. Treinen entered next but also was unable to stem the momentum: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger hit run-scoring base hits through the diamond, completing a four-run barrage that extended the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Toronto's ability to absorb early setbacks and answer has defined their whole run. They once again did it without George Springer, the injured leadoff man who left Game 3 after straining his right side.

Bieber, in contrast, was everything Toronto needed. Traded for during the summer while completing rehab from elbow surgery, the ex- award-winning winner stranded several runners and silenced the Los Angeles' dangerous batting order. He gave up one earned run on four base hits and three walks before the manager summoned first-year pitcher Fluharty to face the core of the order in the sixth inning. Fluharty needed just four pitches to retire Max Muncy and Edman, preserving a fragile lead that soon grew safe.

Former starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' offense continued to sputter. The Dodgers have scored only three runs over their previous 20 frames, an sudden downturn for a club that ranked among baseball's top offenses all season.

Closing Innings

The Dodgers managed a run in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman grounded out to score Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's double put two on base. But Louis Varland closed it down without permitting a comeback to build.

Following a night when the Blue Jays left a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after wave upon wave of missed opportunities, the fourth contest was ruthlessly efficient. 6 separate Toronto players recorded hits, 5 drove in scores and the squad converted nearly every scoring chance presented in the final stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The victory ensures the championship trophy will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not won a championship since Carter's famous game-winning home run in 1993. They now know they are assured a full crowd in Toronto on Friday night – and perhaps the next day – no matter what occurs next in LA.

The fifth game looms with the matchup reset and energy shifting to Toronto. Los Angeles left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Blue Jays's surge. Toronto respond with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Blue Jays knocked out Snell quickly in an decisive win.