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Less than a day following staggering through one of the most draining defeats in Fall Classic history, the Blue Jays displayed complete command.

Guerrero crushed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber provided a composed outing as Toronto beat the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, squaring the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the matchup will return to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had spent the morning of the next day processing their marathon Game 3 loss – tied for the longest World Series game ever – a loss that cost them the opportunity to lead the series and depleted both bullpens. Manager John Schneider stated later that “they took a game, not the World Series”. A day later, his squad offered convincing evidence.

Initial Action

The Dodgers again scored first. Muncy walked in the second inning, moved up on a single and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the early score did not rattle a Toronto team that topped MLB with 49 come-from-behind victories this season.

They responded immediately in the third inning. Lukes hit a one away base hit to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in hunting a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani threw a sweeper up and Guerrero sent it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his first extra-base hit of the series and his 7th home run this postseason – a new club record – restoring the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 scoreless innings and shifting the tone of the night.

Shohei's Night

That swing also halted Shohei Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 straight at-bats getting on base. The dual-threat star had smashed two homers and got on base a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 comeback win. But on that night, he started on limited rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the previous marathon.

His fastball velocity was under his seasonal norm and he struggled more as the game wore on. Even so, he displayed glimpses of his usual control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to continue his Fall Classic record. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six base hits and four runs were credited to him in six-plus innings.

Late Game Rally

The larger issue for Los Angeles was what followed when he eventually lost steam.

Daulton Varsho started the seventh with a sharp single to right field, and Clement smashed a two-base hit off the wall to put two on with no outs. Roberts had no option but to pull the starter, who exited to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not complete the escape.

Anthony Banda inherited 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. Ty France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock the pitcher out of the game. Treinen came in next but also failed to stop the momentum: Bo Bichette and Barger hit RBI base hits through the infield, capping a four-run barrage that extended the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Toronto's ability to absorb early blows and respond has characterized their whole run. They once again did it without George Springer, the injured top-of-the-order man who left the third game after straining his right side.

Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what the Blue Jays needed. Acquired mid-season while completing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the ex- award-winning winner left multiple runners and quieted the Los Angeles' dangerous lineup. He allowed one earned run on four base hits and three walks before Schneider called on first-year pitcher Fluharty to face the core of the lineup in the sixth inning. Fluharty needed just 4 throws to retire Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a fragile lead that quickly grew comfortable.

Former starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' offense kept to sputter. The Dodgers have produced only three scores over their previous 20 frames, an sudden slowdown for a team that was among MLB's elite lineups all year.

Closing Innings

The Dodgers managed a score in the ninth when Edman grounded out to bring home Hernández after a walk and Muncy's double put runners aboard. But Varland closed it down without allowing a comeback to develop.

After a game when Toronto left a World Series-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after repeated of missed chances, the fourth contest was ruthlessly efficient. Six separate Toronto players recorded hits, five drove in scores and the squad cashed nearly every scoring chance presented in the final stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The victory guarantees the championship trophy will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not won a title since Carter's iconic walk-off homer in 1993. They now know they are guaranteed a packed house in Canada on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 looms with the matchup even and momentum shifting north. Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Blue Jays's momentum. The Blue Jays counter with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Toronto chased the starter quickly in an decisive victory.