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Less than a day after enduring one of the most exhausting losses in Fall Classic annals, the Blue Jays played with complete command.

Guerrero smashed a two-run home run and Bieber delivered a steady start as Toronto beat the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, tying the World Series at two games each and ensuring the series will return to Canada.

The Blue Jays had spent the morning of the next day dealing with their marathon Game 3 loss – tied for the longest World Series contest ever – a loss that cost them the opportunity to take the lead in the series and burned through both relief corps. Skipper Schneider insisted later that “the Dodgers won a game, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad offered emphatic evidence.

Early Innings

The Los Angeles again scored first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, moved up on a single and crossed the plate on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early breakthrough did not shake a Toronto club that led MLB with 49 come-from-behind victories this season.

They answered immediately in the third inning. Lukes hit a one away base hit to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate hunting a breaking ball. Ohtani threw a sweeper up and Guerrero sent it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his initial extra-base hit of the World Series and his 7th home run this postseason – a new team mark – regaining the Toronto's lead after 13 scoreless frames and shifting the tone of the night.

Shohei's Performance

That hit also halted Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 consecutive at-bats getting on base. The two-way star had smashed two home runs and got on base a historic nine times in the Dodgers' third game comeback win. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on short rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the previous marathon.

Ohtani fastball velocity sat below his seasonal norm and he labored more as the contest progressed. Nonetheless, he showed flashes of his typical command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and striking out six. He even walked in the first to extend his World Series record. But the Blue Jays made him work: six hits and four earned runs were charged to him in six-plus frames.

Seventh Inning Surge

The bigger issue for Los Angeles was what came next when Ohtani eventually lost energy.

Varsho opened the seventh with a clean hit to right, and Ernie Clement smashed a double off the wall to put two on with none out. Dave Roberts had little choice but to remove Ohtani, who departed to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not complete the escape.

Banda inherited the jam and right away fell behind. Andrés Giménez battled to a full count before scoring the runner with a single to left field. Ty France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove the pitcher out of the game. Blake Treinen came in next but also was unable to stop the rally: Bo Bichette and Barger hit run-scoring base hits 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 initial setbacks and answer has characterized their entire run. They once again succeeded without Springer, the injured top-of-the-order hitter who left Game 3 after tweaking his oblique.

Bieber, in contrast, was everything the Blue Jays required. Acquired mid-season while finishing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the former Cy Young winner stranded multiple baserunners and quieted the Los Angeles' dangerous batting order. He allowed one earned run on four base hits and three walks before the manager summoned rookie pitcher Mason Fluharty to face the core of the order in the sixth. He required just four pitches to get out Muncy and Edman, protecting a fragile lead that soon became comfortable.

Converted starter Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' bats continued to sputter. Los Angeles have produced only 3 runs over their last 20 frames, an abrupt slowdown for a team that was among baseball's elite lineups all year.

Closing Moments

The Los Angeles managed a run in the ninth when Tommy Edman hit into an out to score Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's two-base hit put runners aboard. But Louis Varland finished the game without allowing a rally to develop.

Following a game when the Blue Jays stranded a World Series-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after repeated of wasted chances, the fourth contest was brutally efficient. Six different Toronto players collected base hits, five brought home runs and the squad converted almost every scoring opportunity available in the late stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The win ensures the World Series title will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not won a title since Carter's famous game-winning home run in '93. They now are aware they are guaranteed a full crowd in Toronto on Friday night – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what happens next in LA.

The fifth game approaches with the series even and momentum shifting to Toronto. Los Angeles left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Toronto's surge. Toronto respond with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Toronto chased the starter quickly in an 11-4 win.