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Only 24 hours after staggering through one of the most draining defeats in World Series annals, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed complete command.

Guerrero crushed a two-run home run and Bieber delivered a steady outing as Toronto beat the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, tying the World Series at two games each and ensuring the matchup will return to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had passed the morning of Tuesday dealing with their 18-inning Game 3 loss – equal to the lengthiest Fall Classic contest ever – a defeat that cost them the opportunity to lead the series and depleted both bullpens. Skipper Schneider insisted later that “they won a contest, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad offered convincing proof.

Early Innings

The Los Angeles again scored first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second, advanced on a base hit and crossed the plate on Hernández's fly out. But the initial score did not rattle a Toronto club that led Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind wins this season.

They answered right away in the third. Lukes hit a one-out single to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate hunting a breaking ball. Ohtani threw a sweeper up and Guerrero drove it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his first extra-base hit of the World Series and his 7th home run this postseason – a fresh team record – restoring the Blue Jays's lead after 13 scoreless innings and shifting the tone of the night.

Ohtani's Night

That swing also ended Shohei Ohtani's history-making run of 11 straight plate appearances getting on base. The two-way phenomenon had hit two homers and got on base a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 comeback win. But on Tuesday, he started on limited rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the prior extra-inning game.

His pitch speed was below his regular-season average and he labored more as the contest progressed. Nonetheless, he showed flashes of his usual control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and striking out six. He even walked in the first inning to continue his World Series streak. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six base hits and four runs were credited to him in over six innings.

Late Game Rally

The bigger problem for Los Angeles was what came next when he eventually ran out of energy.

Varsho started the seventh with a clean single to right, and Ernie Clement drilled a two-base hit off the wall to put runners on with no outs. Roberts had little choice but to remove Ohtani, who exited to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not finish the escape.

Banda came into the jam and immediately fell behind. Andrés Giménez battled to a full count before scoring the runner with a single to left. France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove the pitcher out of the game. Blake Treinen came in next but also was unable to stem the rally: Bichette and Addison Barger hit run-scoring base hits through the diamond, completing a four-run barrage that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Toronto's ability to withstand initial setbacks and answer has characterized their entire run. They once again succeeded without Springer, the injured top-of-the-order hitter who left Game 3 after tweaking his right side.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was everything Toronto needed. Acquired mid-season while completing rehab from elbow surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner stranded several runners and silenced the Los Angeles' dangerous lineup. He allowed one run on four hits and three free passes before Schneider summoned first-year pitcher Mason Fluharty to face the core of the order in the sixth inning. He required just four pitches to get out Muncy and Edman, preserving a fragile lead that soon became comfortable.

Former starting pitcher Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' offense kept to struggle. Los Angeles have scored only three runs over their last 20 innings, an abrupt downturn for a club that ranked among MLB's top offenses all year.

Closing Moments

The Los Angeles managed a score in the ninth when Tommy Edman hit into an out to score Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's double put runners on base. But Varland finished the game without permitting a rally to develop.

After a night when Toronto stranded a World Series-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after repeated of wasted chances, the fourth contest was brutally efficient. Six separate Toronto players recorded hits, five drove in runs and the team cashed almost every scoring chance available in the final stanzas.

Next Up

The win guarantees the World Series title will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a title since Joe Carter's iconic game-winning home run in '93. They now are aware they are guaranteed a full crowd in Canada on Friday evening – and perhaps the next day – no matter what occurs next in LA.

The fifth game looms with the series even and momentum shifting north. Dodgers left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Toronto's momentum. The Blue Jays respond with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Blue Jays chased Snell quickly in an decisive victory.