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Less than a day following staggering through one of the most draining defeats in World Series history, the Blue Jays played with complete control.

Guerrero smashed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber provided 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 wins apiece and guaranteeing the matchup will return to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had passed the morning of Tuesday dealing with their marathon Game 3 loss – tied for the longest World Series contest ever – a loss that denied them the chance to lead the series and burned through both relief corps. Manager John Schneider insisted afterwards that “they took a game, not the championship”. A day later, his squad offered emphatic proof.

Early Innings

The Los Angeles again struck first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, advanced on a base hit and crossed the plate on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early score did not shake a Blue Jays club that led Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind wins this year.

They responded right away in the third. Lukes lined a one-out single to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate looking for a curveball. Shohei Ohtani threw a slider up and he drove it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his initial long hit of the series and his seventh homer this playoffs – a new club mark – regaining the Blue Jays's lead after 13 shutout frames and changing the momentum of the night.

Shohei's Performance

That swing also halted Shohei Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 straight at-bats getting on base. The two-way star had hit two home runs and reached safely a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' third game comeback win. But on that night, he took the mound on short rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the previous marathon.

Ohtani fastball velocity sat under his regular-season average and he labored more as the contest progressed. Nonetheless, he showed glimpses of his usual control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and fanning six. He even walked in the first inning to extend his World Series record. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six base hits and four runs were credited to him in six-plus frames.

Seventh Inning Surge

The bigger issue for the Dodgers was what came next when he finally lost energy.

Varsho opened the seventh with a sharp single to right field, and Ernie Clement smashed a double off the wall to put two on with none out. Dave Roberts had little choice but to pull the starter, who exited to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not complete the escape.

Anthony Banda inherited the jam and immediately trailed in the count. Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before scoring Varsho with a single to left. Ty France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock the pitcher out of the contest. Blake Treinen entered next but also was unable to stop the rally: Bichette and Barger hit run-scoring singles through the infield, capping a four-run outburst that extended the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Blue Jays's ability to withstand initial setbacks and respond has defined their entire postseason. They once again did it without Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order hitter who exited Game 3 after straining his oblique.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was everything the Blue Jays required. Acquired mid-season while completing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner stranded multiple runners and silenced the Dodgers' dangerous lineup. He allowed one run on four base hits and three free passes before the manager called on first-year left-hander Mason Fluharty to face the core of the lineup in the sixth inning. He required just four throws to get out Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a narrow lead that quickly grew safe.

Converted starting pitcher Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' bats continued to sputter. Los Angeles have produced only 3 scores over their last 20 frames, an abrupt downturn for a club that was among MLB's elite lineups all season.

Closing Innings

The Los Angeles scraped a run in the ninth when Edman hit into an out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's two-base hit put two aboard. But Varland finished the game without permitting a comeback to build.

After a game when Toronto left a World Series-record 19 runners and collapsed after repeated of missed chances, Game 4 was brutally effective. 6 separate Toronto players recorded hits, five brought home scores and the squad cashed nearly every run-scoring opportunity presented in the late stanzas.

Next Up

The victory guarantees the World Series title will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not won a championship since Carter's iconic game-winning homer in '93. They now are aware they are assured a packed crowd in Canada on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what happens next in LA.

Game 5 looms with the matchup reset and energy shifting north. Dodgers left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Toronto's surge. The Blue Jays respond with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Toronto knocked out Snell quickly in an 11-4 win.