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Less than a day after staggering through one of the most draining losses in World Series history, the Toronto Blue Jays played with total command.

Guerrero smashed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber delivered a composed outing as Toronto beat the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, squaring the World Series at two games each and ensuring the series will head back to Canada.

Toronto had spent the morning of the next day processing their marathon third game defeat – equal to the lengthiest World Series contest ever – a loss that denied them the opportunity to lead the series and depleted both bullpens. Skipper Schneider insisted afterwards that “the Dodgers took a game, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad offered emphatic evidence.

Early Innings

The Los Angeles again struck first. Muncy walked in the second, moved up on a base hit and scored on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the early score did not rattle a Blue Jays team that topped Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind victories this year.

They answered right away in the third inning. Lukes lined a one-out single to centre and Guerrero stepped in looking for a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani left a sweeper up and he sent it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his first extra-base hit of the series and his 7th home run this playoffs – a fresh club record – restoring the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 shutout frames and changing the momentum of the night.

Ohtani's Performance

That hit also ended Shohei Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 straight plate appearances reaching base. The dual-threat phenomenon had hit two home runs and got on base a record nine times in the Dodgers' third game walk-off. But on Tuesday, he started on limited rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the prior marathon.

Ohtani pitch speed sat below his regular-season norm and he labored more as the contest progressed. Nonetheless, he displayed glimpses of his typical command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and striking out six. He even walked in the first inning to continue his Fall Classic record. But the Toronto made him work: six hits and four runs were credited to him in six-plus innings.

Seventh Inning Rally

The bigger issue for the Dodgers was what followed when he eventually ran out of steam.

Varsho started the seventh with a clean hit to right, and Clement smashed a double off the wall to put runners on with no outs. Roberts had no option but to remove Ohtani, who exited to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not complete the escape.

Banda inherited the jam and immediately fell behind. Giménez fought to a full count before scoring Varsho with a single to left field. Ty France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock the pitcher out of the game. Treinen came in next but also was unable to stem the momentum: Bo Bichette and Barger hit run-scoring singles through the diamond, capping a four-score outburst that extended the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Blue Jays's capacity to withstand initial blows and answer has defined their whole postseason. They once again did it without Springer, the hurt leadoff hitter who exited Game 3 after tweaking his oblique.

Bieber, in contrast, was everything the Blue Jays required. Acquired during the summer while completing rehab from elbow surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner stranded multiple runners and silenced the Dodgers' potent lineup. He gave up one earned run on four hits and three free passes before the manager called on rookie pitcher Mason Fluharty to face the heart of the lineup in the sixth. He required just 4 throws to retire Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a fragile advantage that soon grew comfortable.

Former starter Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' bats kept to sputter. Los Angeles have produced only three runs over their last 20 frames, an abrupt slowdown for a team that was among MLB's top offenses all year.

Closing Innings

The Dodgers managed a run in the ninth when Tommy Edman grounded out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's two-base hit put runners aboard. But Louis Varland finished the game without allowing a comeback to develop.

After a game when Toronto stranded a World Series-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after wave upon wave of wasted opportunities, Game 4 was brutally effective. 6 separate Blue Jays recorded base hits, five drove in runs and the squad converted almost every scoring opportunity presented in the final stanzas.

Next Up

The victory ensures the championship title will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not won a title since Joe Carter's famous walk-off home run in '93. They now know they are assured a full house in Toronto on Friday evening – and possibly Saturday – no matter what occurs next in LA.

The fifth game approaches with the matchup reset and momentum shifting north. Dodgers left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Toronto's surge. Toronto respond with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Toronto knocked out the starter quickly in an decisive win.