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Only 24 hours following staggering through one of the most draining defeats in Fall Classic annals, the Blue Jays displayed total control.

Guerrero crushed a two-run home run and Bieber provided a composed start as Toronto 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 guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Canada.

Toronto had spent the early hours of Tuesday processing their marathon Game 3 loss – tied for the longest World Series contest ever – a defeat that cost them the opportunity to lead the series and depleted both bullpens. Skipper John Schneider insisted later that “they won a contest, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad offered emphatic evidence.

Early Action

The Dodgers again struck first. Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, advanced on a base hit and scored on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial breakthrough did not shake a Blue Jays team that topped MLB with 49 comeback wins this season.

They responded right away in the third inning. Nathan Lukes hit a one away base hit to centre and Guerrero stepped in looking for a curveball. Shohei Ohtani threw a slider up and he sent it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his initial extra-base hit of the series and his 7th homer this postseason – a fresh club mark – regaining the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 scoreless innings and shifting the tone of the game.

Ohtani's Performance

That hit also ended Shohei Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 consecutive at-bats getting on base. The two-way star had hit two home runs and got on base a record nine times in the Los Angeles' third game comeback win. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on short rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the previous marathon.

His fastball velocity sat below his seasonal average and he labored more as the game wore on. Nonetheless, he showed flashes of his typical control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first to continue his Fall Classic record. But the Toronto made him work: six base hits and four runs were credited to him in six-plus innings.

Seventh Inning Surge

The bigger problem for Los Angeles was what followed when he eventually lost energy.

Varsho started the seventh with a clean single to right, and Clement drilled a double off the wall to put two on with none out. Roberts had no option but to remove the starter, who exited to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not finish the escape.

Banda inherited the mess and immediately trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez battled to a full count before scoring Varsho with a base hit to left. Ty France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove Banda out of the contest. Treinen came in next but also was unable to stem the momentum: Bichette and Addison Barger hit RBI base hits through the infield, capping a four-score outburst that extended the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Toronto's ability to withstand initial setbacks and answer has characterized their entire run. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the injured top-of-the-order man who exited the third game after straining his oblique.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was everything the Blue Jays required. Traded for mid-season while finishing rehab from elbow surgery, the ex- award-winning winner stranded several runners and silenced the Los Angeles' dangerous batting order. He gave up one earned run on four hits and three walks before the manager summoned rookie pitcher Mason Fluharty to confront the core of the lineup in the sixth. Fluharty required just four throws to get out Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a fragile advantage that quickly became safe.

Converted starter Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' offense kept to struggle. Los Angeles have scored only 3 scores over their last 20 frames, an sudden downturn for a club that ranked among baseball's top lineups all season.

Closing Moments

The Los Angeles scraped a score in the ninth when Tommy Edman hit into an out to score Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's double put two aboard. But Varland closed it down without allowing a comeback to build.

Following a game when the Blue Jays stranded a World Series-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after repeated of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was ruthlessly effective. Six separate Toronto players collected hits, 5 drove in runs and the team converted nearly every scoring chance presented in the late innings.

Looking Ahead

The victory ensures the World Series trophy will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not won a title since Joe Carter's iconic walk-off homer in '93. They now are aware they are guaranteed a full house in Canada on Friday evening – and possibly Saturday – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game approaches with the series even and energy swinging north. Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Blue Jays's momentum. Toronto counter with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Toronto knocked out Snell early in an decisive win.