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Less than a day following staggering through one of the most draining losses in World Series annals, the Blue Jays displayed total control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber delivered a composed outing as Toronto defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, tying the World Series at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the matchup will return to Toronto.

Toronto had spent the morning of Tuesday dealing with their marathon third game defeat – equal to the longest World Series contest ever – a defeat that cost them the opportunity to lead the matchup and depleted both bullpens. Skipper John Schneider insisted later that “they won a contest, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his team offered convincing proof.

Initial Action

The Los Angeles again scored first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second, moved up on a single and scored on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial score did not rattle a Blue Jays club that topped Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind victories this season.

They responded right away in the third. Lukes lined 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 he sent it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his initial extra-base hit of the World Series and his 7th homer this postseason – a fresh team mark – restoring the Toronto's advantage after 13 shutout frames and shifting the tone of the game.

Shohei's Performance

That swing also ended Shohei Ohtani's history-making run of 11 consecutive at-bats getting on base. The dual-threat phenomenon had smashed two home runs and reached safely a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 walk-off. But on that night, he took the mound on short rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the previous marathon.

His pitch speed was under his seasonal average and he struggled more as the contest progressed. Even so, he displayed glimpses of his typical command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to extend his World Series streak. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six hits and four runs were credited to him in over six frames.

Seventh Inning Rally

The bigger issue for the Dodgers was what followed when he finally lost energy.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh inning with a clean single to right, and Ernie Clement smashed a double off the wall to put two on with none out. Roberts had little choice but to pull the starter, who departed to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not finish the escape.

Anthony Banda inherited the jam and immediately trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before scoring Varsho with a base hit to left field. Ty France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove Banda out of the game. Blake Treinen entered next but also failed to stem the momentum: Bo Bichette and Barger hit run-scoring singles through the infield, capping a four-score outburst that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Blue Jays's capacity to withstand early blows and answer has defined their whole postseason. They once again succeeded without Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order man who exited the third game after tweaking his right side.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was everything the Blue Jays required. Traded for mid-season while completing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the former Cy Young winner stranded several baserunners and quieted the Dodgers' potent batting order. He allowed one earned run on four hits and three walks before the manager called on first-year left-hander Fluharty to confront the core of the order in the sixth inning. Fluharty needed just 4 throws to retire Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a fragile lead that quickly grew safe.

Converted starter Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' offense continued to struggle. The Dodgers have scored only three runs over their last 20 innings, an abrupt slowdown for a club that ranked among baseball's top lineups all year.

Closing Moments

The Dodgers managed a run in the ninth when Tommy Edman hit into an out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's two-base hit put runners aboard. But Louis Varland closed it down without permitting a rally to develop.

Following a game when the Blue Jays stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after wave upon wave of missed opportunities, the fourth contest was ruthlessly effective. 6 separate Toronto players collected hits, 5 brought home runs and the squad cashed almost every scoring opportunity presented in the final innings.

Looking Ahead

The win ensures the World Series trophy will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not celebrated a title since Carter's iconic game-winning home run in 1993. They now are aware they are guaranteed a packed house in Canada on Friday evening – and possibly the next day – no matter what happens next in LA.

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