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Less than a day after staggering through one of the most exhausting defeats in World Series history, the Toronto Blue Jays played with total control.

Guerrero crushed a two-run homer and Bieber provided a steady outing as the Blue Jays beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, tying the World Series at two games each and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Canada.

The Blue Jays had passed the early hours of the next day dealing with their 18-inning Game 3 loss – equal to the lengthiest Fall Classic game ever – a defeat that cost them the opportunity to take the lead in the matchup and burned through both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider insisted afterwards that “they took a game, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad offered convincing evidence.

Initial Innings

The Dodgers again scored first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, moved up on a base hit and scored on Kiké 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 victories this season.

They answered immediately in the third inning. Lukes lined a one away single to center field and Guerrero came to the plate looking for a breaking ball. Ohtani left a slider up and Guerrero sent it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his first extra-base hit of the World Series and his 7th homer this playoffs – a fresh club record – regaining the Toronto's advantage after 13 shutout frames and shifting the tone of the game.

Ohtani's Performance

That swing also halted Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 consecutive plate appearances getting on base. The two-way phenomenon had smashed two home runs and got on base a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' third game walk-off. But on that night, he started on short rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the prior extra-inning game.

His fastball velocity was under his regular-season norm and he struggled more as the contest progressed. Even so, he showed glimpses of his typical command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and fanning six. He even walked in the first inning to extend his World Series record. But the Blue Jays made him work: six base hits and four earned runs were credited to him in six-plus innings.

Late Game Surge

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

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh inning with a clean single to right field, and Ernie Clement smashed a two-base hit off the wall to put runners on with none out. Dave Roberts had no option but to pull the starter, who exited to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Dodgers' bullpen could not finish the escape.

Anthony Banda inherited the jam and immediately fell behind. Andrés Giménez fought to a full count before driving in Varsho with a base hit to left field. Ty France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove the pitcher out of the game. Blake Treinen entered next but also was unable to stop the rally: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger punched run-scoring singles through the infield, capping a four-run outburst that extended the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Blue Jays's capacity to withstand initial blows and respond has defined their whole run. They once again did it without Springer, the injured top-of-the-order man who exited Game 3 after straining his oblique.

Bieber, in contrast, was everything Toronto required. Acquired during the summer while completing recovery from elbow surgery, the former award-winning winner stranded multiple baserunners and quieted the Dodgers' dangerous lineup. He gave up one earned run on four base hits and three free passes before the manager summoned first-year left-hander Fluharty to face the heart of the order in the sixth inning. He needed just 4 pitches to get out Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a narrow advantage that quickly grew comfortable.

Former starter Chris Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' bats kept to sputter. The Dodgers have scored only three runs over their last 20 frames, an sudden downturn for a team that was among MLB's top offenses all year.

Closing Moments

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

Following a game when Toronto left a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after repeated of missed opportunities, the fourth contest was ruthlessly effective. Six separate Toronto players recorded hits, five brought home runs and the squad converted nearly every run-scoring opportunity available in the late innings.

Looking Ahead

The win guarantees the championship title will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not celebrated a championship since Joe Carter's iconic walk-off homer in 1993. They now are aware they are guaranteed a packed house in Canada on Friday night – and possibly Saturday – no matter what happens next in LA.

The fifth game looms with the series reset and momentum shifting north. Dodgers pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Blue Jays's momentum. Toronto respond with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Toronto knocked out Snell quickly in an decisive win.