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Only 24 hours after enduring one of the most exhausting losses in Fall Classic history, the Blue Jays played with complete command.

Guerrero smashed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber delivered a steady start as Toronto beat the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, tying the World Series at two games each and ensuring the matchup will return to Canada.

The Blue Jays had passed the early hours of the next day processing their 18-inning Game 3 loss – tied for the longest World Series contest ever – a loss that cost them the chance to take the lead in the series and depleted both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider stated afterwards that “the Dodgers won a contest, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his team offered emphatic proof.

Early Innings

The Dodgers again scored first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second, moved up on a single and crossed the plate on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial breakthrough did not shake a Blue Jays team that led MLB with 49 come-from-behind victories this year.

They responded right away in the third. Lukes hit a one-out single to centre and Guerrero stepped in hunting a curveball. Shohei Ohtani threw a sweeper up and he sent it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his initial long hit of the World Series and his seventh home run this postseason – a fresh club mark – regaining the Toronto's advantage after 13 scoreless innings and changing the tone of the game.

Ohtani's Night

That hit also ended Ohtani's history-making run of 11 consecutive at-bats getting on base. The dual-threat star had hit two home runs and got on base a record nine times in the Los Angeles' third game comeback win. But on that night, he took the mound on limited rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the previous extra-inning game.

Ohtani pitch speed sat under his regular-season norm and he struggled more as the game progressed. Nonetheless, he displayed flashes of his typical control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first to extend his Fall Classic record. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six hits and four runs were charged to him in six-plus frames.

Late Game Rally

The larger issue for Los Angeles was what followed when Ohtani eventually 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. Dave Roberts had no option but to remove the starter, who exited to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not finish the inning.

Anthony Banda inherited the jam and right away fell behind. Giménez battled to a full count before driving in Varsho with a single to left. France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove the pitcher out of the game. Blake Treinen entered next but also failed to stem the rally: Bichette and Addison Barger hit RBI singles through the infield, capping a four-run outburst that extended the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Blue Jays's capacity to absorb early setbacks and respond has characterized their whole run. They once again did it without Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order hitter who left Game 3 after straining his oblique.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what the Blue Jays required. Traded for during the summer while finishing rehab from elbow surgery, the former Cy Young winner left several baserunners and silenced the Dodgers' potent batting order. He gave up one earned run on four hits and three free passes before the manager called on first-year left-hander Mason Fluharty to face the heart of the order in the sixth. Fluharty needed just four throws to retire Max Muncy and Edman, protecting a fragile advantage that quickly grew safe.

Converted starter Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' bats continued to struggle. The Dodgers have scored only three runs over their previous 20 innings, an abrupt downturn for a team that ranked among MLB's elite lineups all season.

Final Innings

The Dodgers scraped a score in the ninth when Tommy Edman grounded out to score Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's double put two on base. But Louis Varland finished the game without allowing a comeback to develop.

After a game when Toronto stranded a World Series-record 19 runners and collapsed after wave upon wave of missed chances, Game 4 was brutally efficient. 6 separate Blue Jays collected base hits, five brought home scores and the squad cashed nearly every run-scoring chance available in the late stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The win guarantees the World Series trophy will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not celebrated a championship since Joe Carter's famous walk-off homer in '93. They now know they are guaranteed a packed crowd in Toronto on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what happens next in LA.

The fifth game approaches with the matchup reset and energy swinging north. Los Angeles left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Blue Jays's surge. Toronto counter with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Toronto chased Snell quickly in an decisive win.