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Only 24 hours following enduring one of the most draining losses in World Series history, the Blue Jays displayed complete control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber provided a steady outing as Toronto defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, tying the World Series at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the series will head back to Canada.

Toronto had spent the early hours of Tuesday dealing with their marathon Game 3 loss – tied for the longest World Series game ever – a loss that denied them the opportunity to lead the matchup and burned through both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider insisted afterwards that “they won a game, not the championship”. A day later, his squad offered convincing evidence.

Early Action

The Dodgers again struck first. Max Muncy walked in the second inning, advanced on a single and scored on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early breakthrough did not shake a Toronto team that led Major League Baseball with 49 comeback victories this season.

They responded immediately in the third inning. Nathan Lukes hit a one-out single to center field and Guerrero came to the plate looking for a curveball. Ohtani threw a sweeper up and Guerrero sent it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his first extra-base hit of the World Series and his seventh home run this postseason – a new club record – restoring the Toronto's lead after 13 scoreless innings and changing the tone of the night.

Ohtani's Performance

That hit also ended Shohei Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 consecutive plate appearances getting on base. The dual-threat star had smashed two home runs and got on base a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 comeback win. But on Tuesday, he started on short rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the previous extra-inning game.

His fastball velocity sat below his regular-season average and he struggled more as the contest wore on. Nonetheless, he displayed flashes of his typical command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to continue his World Series streak. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six base hits and four earned runs were charged to him in over six frames.

Seventh Inning Rally

The larger problem for Los Angeles was what followed when Ohtani finally lost steam.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh with a sharp hit to right field, and Ernie Clement smashed a two-base hit off the fence to put two on with none out. Dave Roberts had no option but to pull the starter, who exited to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not complete the inning.

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 field. Ty France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock Banda out of the game. Treinen entered next but also was unable to stop the rally: Bichette and Barger hit run-scoring base hits through the diamond, capping a four-score barrage that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Toronto's capacity to absorb early blows and respond has characterized their entire postseason. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the injured top-of-the-order hitter who exited the third game after tweaking his right side.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was everything Toronto required. Traded for during the summer while finishing recovery from elbow surgery, the former award-winning winner stranded several baserunners and silenced the Dodgers' potent lineup. He gave up one run on four hits and three free passes before Schneider summoned first-year left-hander Mason Fluharty to confront the core of the order in the sixth. He needed just four pitches to get out Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a narrow advantage that quickly became comfortable.

Converted starting pitcher Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' offense kept to sputter. Los Angeles have produced only 3 runs over their previous 20 frames, an abrupt downturn for a club that was among MLB's elite lineups all season.

Closing Moments

The Dodgers managed a run in the ninth inning when Edman grounded out to score Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's two-base hit put runners aboard. But Louis Varland closed it down without permitting a rally to develop.

After a game when Toronto left a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and fell apart after wave upon wave of wasted opportunities, Game 4 was brutally effective. 6 separate Blue Jays recorded base hits, five brought home runs and the team converted almost every scoring opportunity available in the late stanzas.

Next Up

The win guarantees the World Series trophy will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not won a title since Joe Carter's famous walk-off homer in 1993. They now are aware they are assured a packed crowd in Toronto on Friday evening – and possibly Saturday – no matter what occurs next in LA.

The fifth game looms with the series reset and momentum swinging to Toronto. Los Angeles left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Toronto's momentum. Toronto counter with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Toronto knocked out Snell quickly in an 11-4 win.