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Less than a day following enduring one of the most exhausting defeats in Fall Classic annals, the Toronto Blue Jays played with complete command.

Guerrero crushed a two-run homer and Bieber provided a composed outing as the Blue Jays beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, tying the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and ensuring the series will head back to Toronto.

Toronto had spent the early hours of the next day dealing with their 18-inning Game 3 loss – equal to the lengthiest World Series game ever – a defeat that cost them the opportunity to lead the matchup and burned through both relief corps. Manager John Schneider insisted afterwards that “the Dodgers won a contest, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad provided emphatic proof.

Initial Innings

The Dodgers again struck first. Muncy walked in the second inning, advanced on a single and crossed the plate on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial score did not shake a Toronto club that led Major League Baseball with 49 comeback victories this season.

They answered right away in the third. Nathan Lukes hit a one away single to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate hunting a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani left a sweeper up and Guerrero sent it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his initial long hit of the World Series and his seventh homer this playoffs – a new team mark – regaining the Toronto's lead after 13 scoreless innings and changing the momentum of the game.

Ohtani's Night

That swing also ended Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 straight at-bats reaching base. The dual-threat star had smashed two home runs and reached safely a record nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 walk-off. But on that night, he started on short rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the previous extra-inning game.

His fastball velocity was under his regular-season norm and he struggled more as the game wore on. Even so, he showed glimpses of his usual control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first to extend his World Series record. But the Blue Jays made him work: six hits and four earned runs were credited to him in over six innings.

Late Game Rally

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

Daulton Varsho started the seventh inning with a sharp hit to right, and Ernie Clement smashed a double off the fence to put runners on with none out. Roberts had no option but to pull the starter, who departed to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Dodgers' bullpen could not complete the inning.

Anthony Banda came into the mess and immediately trailed in the count. Giménez battled to a full count before driving in the runner with a single to left field. France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock the pitcher out of the game. Treinen came in next but also failed to stop the rally: Bichette and Addison Barger hit RBI singles through the diamond, capping a four-score outburst that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Toronto's ability to absorb early blows and answer has characterized their whole postseason. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order man who exited Game 3 after straining his oblique.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was everything the Blue Jays required. Traded for mid-season while finishing recovery from elbow surgery, the former Cy Young winner left multiple baserunners and quieted the Los Angeles' potent lineup. He allowed one run on four hits and three free passes before the manager called on rookie left-hander Fluharty to confront the core of the order in the sixth. He required just 4 throws to retire Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a narrow lead that soon became safe.

Former starting pitcher Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' offense kept to sputter. Los Angeles have scored only three scores 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 run in the ninth when Tommy Edman hit into an out to score Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's double put runners on base. But Louis Varland closed it down without allowing a rally to build.

Following a game when the Blue Jays left a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and collapsed after repeated of missed opportunities, the fourth contest was ruthlessly efficient. Six separate Toronto players recorded hits, five brought home scores and the team converted nearly every scoring chance presented in the final stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The win ensures the championship trophy will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not won a championship since Joe Carter's famous game-winning home run in '93. They now know they are assured a packed crowd in Toronto on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what occurs next in LA.

Game 5 looms with the matchup reset and energy shifting to Toronto. Dodgers pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Blue Jays'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 early in an decisive victory.