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Only 24 hours following enduring one of the most exhausting defeats in Fall Classic history, the Blue Jays played with total command.

Guerrero crushed a two-run home run and Bieber provided a composed start as the Blue Jays beat the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, squaring the Fall Classic at two games each and ensuring the matchup will return to Toronto.

Toronto had spent the morning of Tuesday dealing with their marathon Game 3 loss – equal to the longest Fall Classic game ever – a defeat that cost them the opportunity to take the lead in the series and depleted both bullpens. Skipper John Schneider insisted later that “the Dodgers took a game, not the World Series”. A day later, his team provided emphatic evidence.

Early Innings

The Los Angeles again struck first. Max Muncy walked in the second inning, advanced on a base hit and crossed the plate on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial breakthrough did not rattle a Blue Jays club that led Major League Baseball with 49 comeback victories this year.

They answered immediately in the third inning. Lukes hit a one away single to centre and Guerrero stepped in hunting a curveball. Ohtani left a slider up and he sent it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his first long hit of the series and his seventh home run this playoffs – a fresh club record – restoring the Toronto's lead after 13 scoreless frames and changing the momentum of the game.

Shohei's Performance

That hit also halted Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 consecutive at-bats getting on base. The dual-threat phenomenon had smashed two homers and got on base a record nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 comeback win. But on Tuesday, he started on short rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the previous marathon.

His fastball velocity sat under his regular-season norm and he struggled more as the game progressed. Even so, he showed flashes of his typical command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to extend his World Series streak. But the Toronto made him work: six base hits and four earned runs were charged to him in six-plus innings.

Late Game Rally

The bigger problem for Los Angeles was what came next when he eventually ran out of energy.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh inning with a sharp hit to right, and Ernie Clement smashed a two-base hit off the fence to put two on with none out. Dave Roberts had little choice but to remove the starter, who departed to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not complete the escape.

Anthony Banda came into the mess and immediately fell behind. Giménez battled to a full count before scoring the runner with a base hit to left. France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove Banda out of the game. Blake Treinen came in next but also was unable to stop the momentum: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger punched RBI singles through the diamond, capping a four-score outburst that extended the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Toronto's ability to absorb initial setbacks and respond has characterized their entire run. They once again succeeded without Springer, the injured top-of-the-order man who left the third game after tweaking his oblique.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was everything the Blue Jays needed. Traded for during the summer while finishing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the former award-winning winner left several baserunners and silenced the Los Angeles' dangerous batting order. He gave up one earned run on four hits and three free passes before the manager summoned rookie pitcher Mason Fluharty to face the heart of the lineup in the sixth inning. He needed just four throws to retire Max Muncy and Edman, preserving a narrow advantage that soon became safe.

Converted starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' offense kept to struggle. Los Angeles have scored only three scores over their last 20 frames, an abrupt downturn for a club that was among MLB's top lineups all season.

Final Innings

The Los Angeles scraped a score in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman hit into an out to score Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's two-base hit put two aboard. But Varland closed it down without permitting a rally to develop.

Following a night when Toronto left a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after repeated of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was brutally efficient. Six separate Blue Jays collected base hits, 5 brought home scores and the squad cashed nearly every run-scoring chance presented in the late stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The victory guarantees the World Series trophy will be presented at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not won a championship since Joe Carter's iconic game-winning home run in '93. They now know they are guaranteed a full crowd in Toronto on Friday night – and possibly the next day – no matter what happens next in LA.

Game 5 looms with the series reset and energy swinging north. Los Angeles left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Blue Jays's momentum. Toronto counter with rookie 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.