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

Guerrero crushed a two-run home run and Bieber provided a steady start as the Blue Jays beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, tying the World Series at two wins apiece and ensuring the matchup will return to Canada.

Toronto had passed the early hours of the next day dealing with their 18-inning third game defeat – tied for the lengthiest Fall Classic contest ever – a defeat that cost them the chance to take the lead in the series and depleted both bullpens. Skipper Schneider insisted later that “the Dodgers won a contest, not the championship”. A day later, his squad provided convincing proof.

Early Innings

The Dodgers again scored first. Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, advanced on a base hit and scored on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial score did not shake a Toronto club that topped Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind victories this season.

They answered right away in the third. Nathan Lukes lined a one-out single to center field and Guerrero stepped in hunting a curveball. Ohtani left a sweeper up and Guerrero sent it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his initial long hit of the World Series and his 7th home run this postseason – a fresh club record – regaining the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 scoreless frames and shifting the momentum of the night.

Ohtani's Night

That hit also ended Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 straight at-bats getting on base. The dual-threat phenomenon had hit two home runs and got on base a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 walk-off. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on limited rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the previous marathon.

His pitch speed sat under his seasonal average and he labored more as the game progressed. Even so, he showed glimpses of his usual command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and fanning six. He even walked in the first to extend his World Series record. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six base hits and four earned runs were charged to him in over six frames.

Seventh Inning Surge

The bigger problem for Los Angeles was what followed when Ohtani eventually ran out of energy.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh with a sharp single to right field, and Clement smashed a two-base hit off the fence to put runners on with none out. Dave Roberts had no option but to remove the starter, who exited to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not complete the inning.

Anthony Banda inherited the mess and immediately fell behind. Andrés Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before driving in the runner with a base hit to left field. Ty France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock Banda out of the contest. Blake Treinen entered next but also was unable to stop the momentum: Bichette and Barger punched RBI base hits through the infield, capping a four-run barrage that extended the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Blue Jays's ability to withstand early blows and answer has characterized their whole run. They once again succeeded without Springer, the injured top-of-the-order man who left the third game after straining his oblique.

Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what Toronto required. Traded for mid-season while completing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the ex- award-winning winner stranded several baserunners and quieted the Dodgers' potent batting order. He allowed one earned run on four base hits and three free passes before Schneider summoned rookie left-hander Mason Fluharty to face the heart of the order in the sixth inning. Fluharty needed just four throws to retire Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a fragile lead that quickly grew safe.

Former starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' bats continued to struggle. Los Angeles have scored only three runs over their last 20 innings, an abrupt slowdown for a team that ranked among baseball's top lineups all season.

Final Moments

The Los Angeles managed a run in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman grounded out to score Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's double put runners on base. But Louis Varland closed it down without allowing a rally to build.

Following a night when Toronto left a World Series-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after wave upon wave of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was brutally efficient. 6 separate Toronto players collected hits, five brought home runs and the team converted almost every scoring chance presented in the late stanzas.

Next Up

The win ensures the World Series title will be presented at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not won a championship since Carter's iconic walk-off home run in 1993. They now are aware they are assured a packed crowd in Canada on Friday evening – and possibly the next day – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 looms with the series even and momentum shifting north. Dodgers pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Blue Jays's surge. Toronto counter with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Blue Jays chased Snell early in an decisive victory.