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Only 24 hours following enduring one of the most exhausting defeats in World Series annals, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed total control.

Guerrero crushed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber delivered a composed outing as the Blue Jays beat the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, tying the Fall Classic at two games each and ensuring the series will head back to Canada.

Toronto had spent the early hours of Tuesday dealing with their 18-inning Game 3 loss – equal to the lengthiest World Series game ever – a loss that cost them the chance to lead the series and depleted both bullpens. Skipper Schneider insisted afterwards that “they took a contest, not the championship”. A day later, his squad offered convincing evidence.

Early Innings

The Los Angeles again scored first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second, moved up on a single and scored on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early score did not rattle a Blue Jays team that topped MLB with 49 comeback wins this year.

They answered immediately in the third inning. Lukes lined a one away single to center field and Guerrero came to the plate hunting a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani threw a sweeper up and Guerrero drove it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his initial long hit of the World Series and his 7th homer this postseason – a fresh club mark – regaining the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 shutout frames and shifting the momentum of the night.

Ohtani's Performance

That swing also ended Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 straight at-bats getting on 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 Tuesday, he started on limited rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the previous marathon.

Ohtani fastball velocity was under his regular-season average and he labored more as the game wore on. Nonetheless, he showed flashes of his usual command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to continue his Fall Classic streak. But the Toronto made him work: six base hits and four earned runs were charged to him in over six frames.

Late Game Surge

The bigger issue for Los Angeles was what came next when he eventually lost energy.

Daulton Varsho started the seventh with a sharp single to right, and Ernie Clement smashed a double off the fence to put runners on with none out. Dave Roberts had little choice but to remove Ohtani, who exited to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Dodgers' relief corps could not finish the escape.

Anthony Banda inherited the jam and immediately fell behind. Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before driving in Varsho with a base hit to left field. Ty France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove Banda out of the contest. Blake Treinen entered next but also failed to stem the momentum: Bichette and Barger punched run-scoring base hits through the diamond, completing a four-run barrage that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Toronto's ability to absorb early blows and respond has defined their whole run. They once again did it without George Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order hitter who left Game 3 after straining his oblique.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what Toronto required. Acquired during the summer while completing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the former award-winning winner left several runners and silenced the Los Angeles' dangerous lineup. He allowed one earned run on four base hits and three walks before Schneider summoned first-year left-hander Mason Fluharty to face the core of the lineup in the sixth inning. He required just 4 throws to get out Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a fragile advantage that soon became comfortable.

Former starting pitcher Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' bats kept to struggle. Los Angeles have scored only 3 runs over their previous 20 innings, an sudden slowdown for a team that ranked among baseball's elite lineups all year.

Final Innings

The Los Angeles scraped a run in the ninth when Tommy Edman grounded out to score Hernández after a walk and Muncy's double put runners on base. But Varland finished the game without allowing a rally to develop.

After a game when the Blue Jays stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after repeated of wasted opportunities, Game 4 was ruthlessly efficient. 6 separate Toronto players collected base hits, five brought home scores and the squad cashed almost every run-scoring chance available in the late innings.

Next Up

The win ensures the World Series trophy will be presented at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a title since Carter's famous game-winning homer in '93. They now are aware they are guaranteed a full house in Canada on Friday evening – and possibly the next day – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

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