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Less than a day following staggering through one of the most exhausting defeats in Fall Classic annals, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed complete control.

Guerrero crushed a two-run homer and Bieber provided a composed start as the Blue Jays beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, squaring the World Series at two games each and guaranteeing the matchup will return to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had passed the early hours of Tuesday dealing with their marathon third game defeat – equal to the longest World Series contest ever – a loss that denied them the chance to lead the series and depleted both bullpens. Skipper John Schneider stated later that “they took a contest, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad offered emphatic proof.

Initial Action

The Los Angeles again scored first. Muncy walked in the second, moved up on a base hit and crossed the plate on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial score did not rattle a Toronto club that topped MLB with 49 come-from-behind wins this season.

They responded right away in the third. Nathan Lukes hit a one-out single to centre and Guerrero stepped in hunting a curveball. Ohtani left a sweeper up and Guerrero drove it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his initial extra-base hit of the series and his seventh home run this postseason – a new team record – regaining the Toronto's advantage after 13 shutout innings and changing the tone of the game.

Shohei's Performance

That hit also halted Shohei Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 straight at-bats getting on base. The two-way star had hit two homers and reached safely a record nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 walk-off. But on that night, he took the mound on limited rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the prior extra-inning game.

Ohtani pitch speed was under his regular-season average and he labored more as the contest wore on. Nonetheless, he displayed glimpses of his usual control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to continue his World Series record. But the Blue Jays made him work: six base hits and four earned runs were charged to him in over six innings.

Seventh Inning Surge

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

Varsho started the seventh inning with a sharp hit to right field, and Clement smashed a double off the wall to put two on with none out. Roberts had little choice but to remove the starter, who exited to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Dodgers' bullpen could not finish the inning.

Anthony Banda inherited the jam and right away trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before driving in Varsho with a base hit to left field. France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove the pitcher out of the contest. Blake Treinen came in next but also was unable to stop the rally: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger hit RBI base hits through the diamond, capping a four-score barrage that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Blue Jays's capacity to withstand early setbacks and respond has defined their whole run. They once again did it without Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order hitter who exited the third game after straining his right side.

Bieber, meanwhile, was everything the Blue Jays required. Acquired during the summer while completing rehab from elbow surgery, the former Cy Young winner left multiple baserunners and silenced the Los Angeles' potent lineup. He allowed one run on four base hits and three free passes before the manager called on rookie pitcher Mason Fluharty to face the heart of the lineup in the sixth. Fluharty needed just 4 pitches to retire Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a fragile lead that soon became safe.

Converted starter Chris Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' bats continued to struggle. The Dodgers have produced only 3 runs over their last 20 frames, an sudden downturn for a team that was among MLB's top offenses all year.

Final Innings

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

Following a game when the Blue Jays stranded a World Series-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after repeated of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was brutally effective. Six different Blue Jays collected hits, 5 drove in runs and the squad cashed almost every run-scoring opportunity available in the late stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The win guarantees the championship title will be presented at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not celebrated a title since Joe Carter's famous game-winning homer in '93. They now know they are assured a full house in Toronto on Friday night – and perhaps the next day – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game approaches with the series reset and energy swinging to Toronto. Los Angeles left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Blue Jays's momentum. The Blue Jays respond with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Toronto knocked out the starter quickly in an 11-4 win.