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Only 24 hours following enduring one of the most exhausting defeats in World Series annals, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed complete command.

Guerrero crushed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber delivered a composed start as the Blue Jays defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, squaring the World Series at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Toronto.

Toronto had passed the early hours of Tuesday processing their 18-inning Game 3 loss – equal to the lengthiest World Series contest ever – a loss that cost them the opportunity to lead the matchup and depleted both bullpens. Skipper John Schneider insisted afterwards that “the Dodgers took a contest, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his team provided emphatic proof.

Early Action

The Los Angeles again struck first. Max Muncy walked in the second inning, advanced on a single and crossed the plate on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial breakthrough did not rattle a Toronto team that led Major League Baseball with 49 comeback wins this year.

They responded right away in the third. Lukes hit a one away single to center field and Guerrero stepped in looking for a curveball. Shohei Ohtani threw a sweeper up and he sent it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his first extra-base hit of the World Series and his 7th homer this postseason – a fresh team record – restoring the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 shutout frames and changing the tone of the night.

Ohtani's Performance

That swing also ended Shohei Ohtani's history-making run of 11 straight plate appearances getting on base. The dual-threat phenomenon had hit two home runs and got on base a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 comeback win. But on Tuesday, he started on short rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the previous marathon.

His pitch speed sat below his seasonal norm and he labored more as the game progressed. Even so, he showed flashes of his usual command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first to continue 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.

Late Game Rally

The bigger problem for Los Angeles was what came next when he finally lost energy.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh with a clean single to right, and Ernie Clement drilled a double off the wall to put runners on with no outs. Dave Roberts had no option but to remove Ohtani, who departed to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not complete the escape.

Banda inherited the mess and right away fell behind. Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before driving in Varsho with a single to left field. Ty France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock the pitcher out of the contest. Treinen entered next but also was unable to stem the rally: Bo Bichette and Barger punched RBI singles through the diamond, capping a four-run barrage that extended the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Toronto's capacity to absorb early blows and respond has characterized their entire postseason. They once again did it without George Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order man who exited the third game after tweaking his right side.

Bieber, meanwhile, was everything the Blue Jays required. Acquired mid-season while completing recovery from elbow surgery, the former award-winning winner left multiple baserunners and quieted the Los Angeles' potent batting order. He gave up one run on four hits and three free passes before the manager summoned first-year left-hander Mason Fluharty to confront the heart of the order in the sixth inning. Fluharty needed just 4 pitches to retire Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a narrow advantage that quickly became comfortable.

Former starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' bats kept to struggle. Los Angeles have scored only 3 runs over their last 20 frames, an abrupt downturn for a club that ranked among baseball's elite offenses all year.

Closing Innings

The Dodgers managed a score in the ninth when Edman hit into an out to score Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's two-base hit put runners on base. But Varland closed it down without allowing a comeback to develop.

Following a night when the Blue Jays stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and fell apart after repeated of wasted opportunities, Game 4 was brutally effective. 6 separate Blue Jays collected hits, 5 drove in runs and the squad cashed almost every run-scoring opportunity available in the late stanzas.

Next Up

The victory ensures the championship trophy will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not won a championship since Carter's famous game-winning home run in '93. They now are aware they are guaranteed a packed house in Toronto on Friday night – and possibly Saturday – no matter what occurs next in LA.

The fifth game looms with the matchup even and energy swinging to Toronto. Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Toronto's momentum. The Blue Jays counter with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Toronto chased the starter quickly in an decisive victory.