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Only 24 hours following enduring one of the most draining losses in Fall Classic history, the Blue Jays displayed total control.

Guerrero smashed a two-run home run and Bieber delivered a steady outing as Toronto 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 ensuring the matchup will head back to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had passed the early hours of Tuesday dealing with their 18-inning Game 3 loss – tied for the lengthiest World Series contest ever – a loss that cost them the opportunity to lead the series and depleted both bullpens. Skipper Schneider stated later that “they took a game, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his team provided emphatic proof.

Early Innings

The Los Angeles again scored first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second, moved up on a single and crossed the plate on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial breakthrough did not rattle a Blue Jays club that topped Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind victories this season.

They responded right away in the third. Nathan Lukes hit a one away single to center field and Guerrero came to the plate hunting a curveball. Ohtani left a sweeper up and he sent it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his first long hit of the series and his 7th homer this playoffs – a fresh club mark – regaining the Toronto's lead after 13 shutout frames and changing the tone of the night.

Shohei's Night

That hit also ended Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 straight at-bats getting on base. The two-way star had smashed two home runs and reached safely a historic 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 needing an IV to recover from the prior marathon.

Ohtani fastball velocity sat below his regular-season norm and he labored more as the contest progressed. Nonetheless, he showed flashes of his typical command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and striking out six. He even walked in the first to continue his World Series record. But the Blue Jays made him work: six hits and four runs were credited to him in six-plus innings.

Seventh Inning Rally

The bigger problem for Los Angeles was what followed when Ohtani eventually ran out of energy.

Varsho opened the seventh inning with a sharp hit to right field, and Clement drilled a double off the wall to put two on with no outs. Dave Roberts had little choice but to pull Ohtani, who exited to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Dodgers' relief corps could not complete the escape.

Anthony Banda inherited the jam and right away fell behind. Andrés Giménez fought to a full count before scoring the runner with a base hit to left field. France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock the pitcher out of the contest. Treinen came in next but also was unable to stop the momentum: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger punched RBI base hits through the infield, capping a four-score barrage that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Blue Jays's capacity to withstand early setbacks and answer has defined their whole run. They once again succeeded without Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order hitter who exited Game 3 after tweaking his right side.

Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what Toronto needed. Acquired during the summer while completing recovery from elbow surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner left multiple runners and silenced the Los Angeles' dangerous batting order. He allowed one earned run on four base hits and three free passes before the manager summoned first-year pitcher Mason Fluharty to face the heart of the lineup in the sixth. He required just four throws to get out Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a narrow advantage that quickly grew safe.

Converted starting pitcher Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' offense kept to struggle. The Dodgers have scored only 3 scores over their previous 20 frames, an sudden slowdown for a team that was among MLB's elite lineups all year.

Final Innings

The Los Angeles scraped a score in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman hit into an out to bring home 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 build.

Following a night when Toronto stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after repeated of wasted chances, Game 4 was brutally efficient. 6 different Toronto players recorded base hits, 5 brought home scores and the team converted nearly every scoring opportunity available in the late innings.

Looking Ahead

The win ensures the championship title will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not won a championship since Joe Carter's famous game-winning home run in 1993. They now are aware they are guaranteed a full crowd in Canada on Friday night – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what occurs next in LA.

The fifth game approaches with the series even and energy swinging north. Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Toronto's momentum. Toronto respond with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Toronto chased the starter quickly in an decisive victory.