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Only 24 hours following staggering through one of the most exhausting losses in World Series history, the Toronto Blue Jays played with total control.

Guerrero crushed a two-run homer and Bieber provided a steady start as Toronto beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, tying the World Series at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the series will return to Toronto.

Toronto had passed the morning of the next day processing their marathon Game 3 loss – equal to the lengthiest Fall Classic game ever – a loss that denied them the chance to take the lead in the matchup and burned through both bullpens. Skipper John Schneider insisted later that “the Dodgers took a game, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his team provided emphatic proof.

Initial Innings

The Dodgers again scored first. Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, moved up on a single and scored on Hernández's fly out. But the initial score did not rattle a Toronto club that topped Major League Baseball with 49 comeback victories this season.

They responded right away in the third. Nathan Lukes lined a one away base hit to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in looking for a curveball. Ohtani threw a sweeper up and he drove it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his first long hit of the World Series and his seventh home run this postseason – a new team record – regaining the Toronto's advantage after 13 scoreless frames and changing the momentum of the night.

Shohei's Performance

That hit also ended Ohtani's history-making run of 11 consecutive at-bats reaching base. The dual-threat star had hit two home runs and got on base a record nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 walk-off. But on that night, he took the mound on short rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the prior marathon.

His fastball velocity was below his regular-season norm and he struggled more as the contest wore on. Even so, he displayed flashes of his typical command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first to extend his World Series record. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six hits and four earned runs were credited to him in six-plus frames.

Seventh Inning Rally

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

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh with a sharp hit to right, and Ernie Clement drilled a double off the fence to put two on with no outs. Roberts had no option but to pull the starter, who exited to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not finish the inning.

Anthony Banda inherited the mess and right away trailed in the count. Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before scoring Varsho with a single to left field. France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock the pitcher out of the game. Blake Treinen came in next but also failed to stem the momentum: Bichette and Barger punched RBI singles through the infield, capping a four-score outburst that extended the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Blue Jays's capacity to withstand early blows and answer has characterized their entire postseason. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order man who exited the third game after tweaking his right side.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what Toronto required. Acquired during the summer while completing rehab from elbow surgery, the former award-winning winner left multiple runners and silenced the Los Angeles' dangerous lineup. He allowed one run on four hits and three free passes before the manager summoned first-year left-hander Fluharty to confront the core of the order in the sixth inning. He required just 4 throws to retire Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a fragile lead that quickly grew comfortable.

Converted starting pitcher Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' bats continued to struggle. Los Angeles have produced only 3 runs over their last 20 frames, an abrupt downturn for a club that was among baseball's top offenses all season.

Closing Innings

The Dodgers scraped a run in the ninth inning when Edman hit into an out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's two-base hit put runners on base. But Louis Varland closed it down without permitting a comeback to build.

After a night when Toronto left a World Series-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after repeated of wasted chances, Game 4 was ruthlessly effective. Six different Blue Jays recorded hits, five brought home runs and the team converted almost every run-scoring opportunity available in the final innings.

Looking Ahead

The victory guarantees the championship title will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not celebrated a title since Carter's famous walk-off homer in 1993. They now are aware they are assured a packed house in Toronto on Friday night – and possibly the next day – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game approaches with the matchup reset and energy shifting to Toronto. Los Angeles pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Toronto's momentum. The Blue Jays counter with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Blue Jays chased Snell early in an decisive win.