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Less than a day after staggering through one of the most draining losses in Fall Classic annals, the Blue Jays played with complete command.

Guerrero crushed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber delivered a composed start as the Blue Jays defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, tying the World Series at two games each and ensuring the series will head back to Canada.

The Blue Jays had passed the morning of Tuesday processing their 18-inning Game 3 loss – equal to the lengthiest Fall Classic game ever – a defeat that denied them the chance to take the lead in the series and burned through both bullpens. Skipper Schneider insisted afterwards that “they took a game, not the World Series”. A day later, his team provided convincing proof.

Initial Innings

The Dodgers again struck first. Max Muncy walked in the second inning, advanced on a base hit and crossed the plate on Hernández's fly out. But the initial score did not shake a Blue Jays team that topped Major League Baseball with 49 comeback wins this year.

They answered immediately in the third inning. Nathan Lukes hit a one-out single to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate looking for a breaking ball. Ohtani left a slider up and Guerrero drove it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his first long hit of the World Series and his seventh home run this playoffs – a fresh club mark – regaining the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 scoreless frames and changing the momentum of the game.

Shohei's Performance

That hit also halted Shohei Ohtani's history-making run of 11 consecutive plate appearances getting on base. The dual-threat phenomenon had smashed two home runs and got on base a record nine times in the Dodgers' third game comeback win. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on limited rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the previous extra-inning game.

His pitch speed sat below his seasonal norm and he struggled more as the contest wore on. Nonetheless, he showed flashes of his usual command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and fanning six. He even walked in the first to extend his World Series streak. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six base hits and four earned runs were credited to him in over six innings.

Seventh Inning Surge

The larger problem for the Dodgers was what came next when he finally ran out of energy.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh inning with a clean hit to right, and Clement smashed a double off the fence to put runners on with none out. Dave Roberts had little choice but to pull Ohtani, who departed to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not complete the inning.

Anthony Banda came into the mess and immediately trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez battled to a full count before driving in the runner with a base hit to left. France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove the pitcher out of the game. Treinen came in next but also failed to stop the rally: Bichette and Barger punched RBI singles through the diamond, capping a four-run outburst that extended the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Blue Jays's ability to withstand initial setbacks and respond has characterized their entire postseason. They once again succeeded without Springer, the injured top-of-the-order man who exited Game 3 after straining his right side.

Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what Toronto required. Traded for during the summer while completing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the former award-winning winner left multiple runners and silenced the Los Angeles' dangerous lineup. He allowed one run on four base hits and three free passes before the manager summoned rookie left-hander Fluharty to face the heart of the lineup in the sixth. He required just four throws to retire Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a narrow advantage that quickly became safe.

Former starting pitcher Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' bats continued to sputter. The Dodgers have scored only three runs over their previous 20 frames, an sudden downturn for a club that ranked among MLB's top lineups all season.

Closing Moments

The Dodgers managed a run in the ninth when Edman hit into an out to score Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's double put two on base. But Louis Varland closed it down without allowing a rally to build.

After a night when the Blue Jays stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after repeated of wasted chances, the fourth contest was brutally efficient. 6 separate Blue Jays recorded base hits, 5 drove in scores and the squad converted almost every run-scoring opportunity presented in the late stanzas.

Next Up

The win ensures the World Series title will be presented at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not won a title since Joe Carter's iconic game-winning home run in 1993. They now are aware they are guaranteed a full crowd in Toronto on Friday evening – and possibly Saturday – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 approaches with the series even and energy shifting north. Dodgers pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Blue Jays's surge. The Blue Jays counter with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Blue Jays chased the starter quickly in an decisive victory.