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Only 24 hours after enduring one of the most draining losses in World Series annals, the Blue Jays displayed complete command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run home run and Bieber delivered a composed outing as the Blue Jays defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, tying the World Series at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the series will return to Toronto.

Toronto had passed the morning of the next day processing their 18-inning Game 3 loss – tied for the longest Fall Classic game ever – a defeat that denied them the chance to lead the matchup and burned through both relief corps. Manager John Schneider stated afterwards that “they took a contest, not the championship”. A day later, his team provided emphatic evidence.

Initial Innings

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

They answered immediately in the third inning. Nathan Lukes hit a one-out single to center field and Guerrero stepped in looking for a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani left a sweeper up and he drove it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his first long hit of the series and his seventh home run this playoffs – a new club mark – restoring the Toronto's advantage after 13 scoreless innings and shifting the tone of the game.

Shohei's Performance

That hit also halted Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 consecutive plate appearances getting on base. The two-way phenomenon had hit two homers and got on base a record nine times in the Los Angeles' third game comeback win. But on that night, he started on limited rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the prior extra-inning game.

Ohtani fastball velocity sat below his seasonal average and he labored more as the game wore on. Even so, he displayed glimpses of his typical command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to continue his Fall Classic record. But the Toronto made him work: six hits and four runs were charged to him in six-plus innings.

Seventh Inning Surge

The bigger issue for Los Angeles was what followed when he finally ran out of energy.

Varsho opened the seventh inning with a clean hit to right field, and Ernie Clement drilled a two-base hit off the fence to put runners on with none out. Roberts had little choice but to pull Ohtani, who departed to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Dodgers' bullpen could not complete the inning.

Banda inherited the jam and immediately trailed in the count. Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before scoring Varsho with a base hit to left field. France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock Banda out of the contest. Treinen came in next but also was unable to stop the momentum: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger punched run-scoring singles through the diamond, completing a four-score outburst that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Toronto's ability to withstand early setbacks and respond has characterized their whole 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.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what the Blue Jays needed. Traded for during the summer while finishing rehab from elbow surgery, the former award-winning winner stranded multiple baserunners and quieted the Los Angeles' dangerous batting order. He gave up one run on four hits and three walks before the manager summoned rookie pitcher Fluharty to face the heart of the lineup in the sixth inning. Fluharty needed just four pitches to get out Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a narrow advantage that soon grew comfortable.

Former starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' offense kept to struggle. The Dodgers have scored only three runs over their previous 20 innings, an abrupt slowdown for a club that was among baseball's elite lineups all year.

Final Moments

The Dodgers scraped a score in the ninth when Tommy Edman grounded out to bring home Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's double put two on base. But Louis Varland closed it down without allowing a comeback to build.

After a night when the Blue Jays left a World Series-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after repeated of wasted chances, the fourth contest was brutally efficient. Six different Toronto players recorded hits, 5 brought home runs and the squad cashed almost every scoring chance available in the final innings.

Looking Ahead

The victory guarantees the World Series title will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not celebrated a title since Joe Carter's famous walk-off homer in 1993. They now are aware they are guaranteed a full crowd in Toronto on Friday night – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 approaches with the matchup even and energy shifting to Toronto. Los Angeles pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Toronto's momentum. The Blue Jays counter with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Toronto chased Snell early in an decisive victory.