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Less than a day following staggering through one of the most exhausting defeats in World Series history, the Blue Jays displayed complete command.

Guerrero crushed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber provided a composed outing as Toronto defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, tying the Fall Classic at two games each and ensuring the matchup will return to Canada.

The Blue Jays had passed the early hours of Tuesday dealing with their 18-inning Game 3 loss – tied for the lengthiest Fall Classic contest ever – a loss that denied them the opportunity to lead the matchup and burned through both relief corps. Manager John Schneider stated later that “the Dodgers won a game, not the championship”. A day later, his squad offered emphatic proof.

Initial Action

The Dodgers again scored first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second, moved up on a single and scored on Hernández's fly out. But the initial score did not shake a Toronto club that topped MLB with 49 comeback wins this year.

They answered immediately in the third inning. Lukes hit a one-out single to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate looking for a breaking ball. Ohtani left a sweeper up and Guerrero drove it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his initial extra-base hit of the series and his seventh homer this postseason – a fresh team record – regaining the Blue Jays's lead after 13 scoreless frames and changing the tone of the game.

Shohei's Night

That hit also halted Shohei Ohtani's history-making run of 11 straight at-bats getting on base. The dual-threat star had smashed two home runs and got on base a record nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 comeback win. But on that night, he took the mound on limited rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the prior marathon.

Ohtani pitch speed sat under his seasonal norm and he labored more as the contest wore on. Nonetheless, he showed flashes of his typical command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to continue his Fall Classic record. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six hits and four runs were credited to him in six-plus innings.

Late Game Rally

The bigger issue for the Dodgers was what came next when he eventually lost steam.

Varsho started the seventh with a sharp hit to right field, and Ernie Clement smashed a double off the wall to put runners on with none out. Roberts had no option but to remove Ohtani, who departed to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Dodgers' bullpen could not complete the escape.

Anthony Banda came into the jam and immediately fell behind. Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before driving in Varsho with a single to left. Ty France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove Banda out of the game. Treinen came in next but also was unable to stem the momentum: Bichette and Addison Barger hit RBI singles through the infield, completing a four-run barrage that extended the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Blue Jays's ability to absorb initial setbacks and answer has characterized their entire run. They once again did it without George Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order man who left Game 3 after tweaking his right side.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was everything Toronto needed. Acquired during the summer while completing rehab from elbow surgery, the ex- award-winning winner left several runners and silenced the Dodgers' dangerous lineup. He gave up one earned run on four base hits and three free passes before the manager summoned first-year left-hander Fluharty to confront the core of the order in the sixth inning. He required just four throws to retire Max Muncy and Edman, preserving a narrow lead that quickly grew safe.

Former starter Chris Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' bats kept to struggle. Los Angeles have scored only three scores over their last 20 innings, an abrupt slowdown for a team that ranked among baseball's top offenses all year.

Closing Innings

The Los Angeles managed a run in the ninth inning when Edman hit into an out to bring home Hernández after a walk and Muncy's two-base hit put two on base. But Louis Varland finished the game without allowing a comeback to develop.

Following a night when Toronto stranded a World Series-record 19 runners and fell apart after repeated of missed opportunities, the fourth contest was brutally efficient. Six different Blue Jays recorded base hits, five drove in scores and the team cashed nearly every scoring opportunity available in the final stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The win guarantees the World Series trophy will be presented at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not won a title since Carter's famous walk-off home run in 1993. They now are aware they are guaranteed a packed house in Toronto on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what occurs next in LA.

The fifth game looms with the matchup even and energy shifting to Toronto. Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Blue Jays's surge. The Blue Jays counter with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Blue Jays knocked out Snell early in an 11-4 win.