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Less than a day after staggering through one of the most exhausting defeats in World Series annals, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed complete control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run homer and Bieber delivered a composed outing as the Blue Jays beat the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, tying the World Series at two games each and ensuring the series will head back to Canada.

Toronto had spent the early hours of Tuesday dealing with their 18-inning Game 3 loss – equal to the longest World Series game ever – a loss that denied them the chance to take the lead in the series and depleted both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider insisted later that “the Dodgers took a contest, not the championship”. A day later, his squad provided convincing proof.

Early Action

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

They responded right away in the third. Lukes lined a one-out base hit to center field and Guerrero stepped in looking for a curveball. Shohei Ohtani threw a sweeper up and Guerrero drove it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his first long hit of the World Series and his seventh homer this postseason – a fresh team record – regaining the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 shutout innings and changing the tone of the game.

Shohei's Performance

That swing also halted Ohtani's history-making run of 11 consecutive at-bats reaching base. The dual-threat star had smashed two homers and got on base a record nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 walk-off. But on that night, he started on limited rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the prior extra-inning game.

His fastball velocity sat under his regular-season norm and he struggled more as the game progressed. Nonetheless, he showed glimpses of his typical command, setting down 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 streak. But the Toronto made him work: six hits and four earned runs were charged to him in six-plus innings.

Seventh Inning Surge

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

Daulton Varsho started the seventh with a clean hit to right field, and Clement drilled a double off the wall to put two on with no outs. Roberts had little choice but to pull the starter, who departed to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Dodgers' relief corps could not finish the escape.

Banda came into the mess and immediately trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before driving in Varsho with a single to left. Ty France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove Banda out of the game. Blake Treinen came in next but also failed to stem the rally: Bo Bichette and Barger hit RBI singles through the diamond, capping a four-run barrage that extended the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Toronto's capacity to withstand initial blows and answer has characterized their entire postseason. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order hitter who exited the third game after straining his right side.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was everything the Blue Jays needed. Traded for during the summer while finishing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the ex- award-winning winner stranded multiple runners and silenced the Dodgers' potent batting order. He allowed one earned run on four hits and three free passes before Schneider summoned first-year left-hander Fluharty to confront the heart of the order in the sixth inning. Fluharty needed just four throws to get out Max Muncy and Edman, protecting a narrow advantage that quickly grew safe.

Converted starter Chris Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' bats kept to sputter. Los Angeles have scored only three scores over their previous 20 innings, an sudden slowdown for a team that ranked among MLB's top lineups all season.

Closing Moments

The Los Angeles managed a run in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman hit into an out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Muncy's double put two aboard. But Varland closed it down without permitting a rally to build.

After a game when Toronto left a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and collapsed after wave upon wave of missed opportunities, Game 4 was ruthlessly effective. Six separate Blue Jays collected base hits, 5 drove in scores and the team cashed almost every run-scoring chance presented in the late innings.

Next Up

The win guarantees the World Series title will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not won a championship since Carter's iconic game-winning home run in 1993. They now know they are assured a full house in Toronto on Friday night – and perhaps the next day – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 looms with the series even and momentum swinging to Toronto. Dodgers pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Toronto's surge. Toronto respond with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Blue Jays knocked out Snell early in an 11-4 victory.