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

Guerrero crushed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber provided a steady start as the Blue Jays defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, tying the World Series at two games each and guaranteeing the series will head back to Toronto.

Toronto had spent the early hours of Tuesday processing their marathon third game defeat – tied for the lengthiest Fall Classic contest ever – a loss that cost them the chance to take the lead in the matchup and depleted both relief corps. Manager John Schneider stated later that “the Dodgers took a contest, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad provided emphatic proof.

Early Innings

The Dodgers again scored first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second, advanced on a base hit and scored on Hernández's fly out. But the early score did not shake a Blue Jays team that topped Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind victories this season.

They responded right away in the third. Nathan Lukes hit a one-out base hit to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in looking for a curveball. Ohtani left a slider up and Guerrero drove it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his first extra-base hit of the series and his seventh home run this postseason – a new club record – restoring the Toronto's advantage after 13 scoreless innings and changing the tone of the game.

Shohei's Night

That swing also halted Shohei Ohtani's history-making run of 11 straight plate appearances getting on base. The dual-threat star had hit two home runs and got on base a historic nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 comeback win. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on limited rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the prior extra-inning game.

His pitch speed sat below his seasonal average and he struggled more as the contest progressed. Nonetheless, he showed glimpses of his usual control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first to extend his Fall Classic record. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six hits and four earned runs were charged to him in six-plus frames.

Seventh Inning Surge

The larger issue for Los Angeles was what came next when Ohtani eventually ran out of steam.

Varsho started the seventh with a clean single to right, and Ernie Clement drilled a double off the wall to put two on with no outs. Dave Roberts had no option but to remove Ohtani, who departed to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Dodgers' relief corps could not finish the inning.

Banda inherited the mess and immediately fell behind. Andrés Giménez fought to a full count before driving in the runner with a base hit to left. Ty France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock Banda out of the game. Blake Treinen entered next but also failed to stem the rally: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger hit run-scoring base hits through the diamond, capping a four-score outburst that extended the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Blue Jays's ability to absorb initial blows and answer has defined their whole postseason. They once again did it without Springer, the hurt leadoff hitter who left Game 3 after straining his right side.

Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what Toronto required. Traded for during the summer while completing rehab from elbow surgery, the former Cy Young winner stranded several runners and quieted the Dodgers' dangerous batting order. He gave up one earned run on four base hits and three free passes before Schneider summoned first-year pitcher Mason Fluharty to face the core of the order in the sixth. He required just 4 pitches to get out Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a narrow lead that quickly became comfortable.

Converted starting pitcher Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' offense continued to sputter. Los Angeles have scored only three runs over their previous 20 innings, an abrupt slowdown for a club that was among MLB's top lineups all year.

Final Innings

The Dodgers scraped a score in the ninth inning when Edman grounded out to score Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's two-base hit put runners on base. But Louis Varland finished the game without allowing a rally to develop.

After a night when the Blue Jays left a World Series-record 19 runners and collapsed after wave upon wave of wasted opportunities, Game 4 was ruthlessly effective. Six separate Toronto players recorded hits, 5 brought home scores and the squad cashed nearly every scoring chance presented in the final stanzas.

Next Up

The win guarantees the championship title will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a championship since Carter's famous game-winning home run in 1993. They now are aware they are guaranteed a full crowd in Canada on Friday night – and perhaps the next day – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game approaches with the series even and energy shifting to Toronto. Dodgers left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Blue Jays's surge. Toronto respond with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Blue Jays chased Snell early in an decisive victory.