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

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run home run and Bieber provided a steady outing as the Blue Jays beat the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, squaring the World Series at two games each and guaranteeing the matchup will return to Canada.

The Blue Jays had spent the morning of the next day processing their marathon third game defeat – tied for the longest Fall Classic game ever – a defeat that denied them the chance to take the lead in the matchup and burned through both bullpens. Manager Schneider stated later that “they took a game, not the championship”. A day later, his squad offered convincing evidence.

Initial Action

The Los Angeles again scored first. Muncy walked in the second, advanced on a base hit and crossed the plate on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early breakthrough did not rattle a Blue Jays club that topped Major League Baseball with 49 comeback wins this season.

They responded immediately in the third. Lukes lined a one away base hit to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in hunting a breaking ball. Ohtani threw a slider up and Guerrero sent it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his initial extra-base hit of the series and his 7th home run this postseason – a new club record – restoring the Blue Jays's lead after 13 shutout innings and shifting the tone of the game.

Ohtani's Performance

That hit also ended Shohei Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 straight plate appearances getting on base. The two-way star had hit two home runs and reached safely a record nine times in the Los Angeles' third game comeback win. But on Tuesday, he started on short rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the prior extra-inning game.

His fastball velocity sat below his seasonal average and he labored more as the contest wore on. Nonetheless, he displayed flashes of his typical command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and striking out six. He even walked in the first to continue his Fall Classic streak. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six base hits and four runs were charged to him in six-plus frames.

Late Game Surge

The larger issue for Los Angeles was what came next when he eventually ran out of steam.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh with a sharp single to right field, and Ernie Clement smashed a double off the wall to put runners on with none out. Dave Roberts had no option but to pull the starter, who departed to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Dodgers' bullpen could not finish the escape.

Anthony Banda inherited the mess and right away trailed in the count. Giménez battled to a full count before driving in the runner with a single to left field. Ty France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock Banda out of the contest. Treinen came in next but also was unable to stop the rally: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger punched RBI base hits through the infield, completing a four-score outburst that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Blue Jays's ability to withstand initial blows and answer has defined their whole run. They once again succeeded without Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order hitter who exited Game 3 after tweaking his right side.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what Toronto required. Traded for mid-season while finishing recovery from elbow surgery, the ex- award-winning winner stranded multiple runners and quieted the Los Angeles' dangerous batting order. He allowed one earned run on four hits and three free passes before Schneider summoned first-year pitcher Fluharty to face the heart of the lineup in the sixth inning. Fluharty needed just four throws to retire Max Muncy and Edman, preserving a narrow advantage that soon became comfortable.

Converted starter Chris Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' bats continued to sputter. Los Angeles have produced only 3 scores over their previous 20 frames, an abrupt slowdown for a club that ranked among MLB's top offenses all year.

Closing Moments

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

After a game when the Blue Jays stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after repeated of wasted opportunities, Game 4 was ruthlessly efficient. Six different Toronto players collected base hits, five brought home scores and the team cashed nearly every run-scoring opportunity presented in the final stanzas.

Next Up

The win guarantees the championship title will be presented at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not won a title since Joe Carter's famous game-winning homer in 1993. They now are aware they are guaranteed a packed house in Canada on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game approaches with the series even and momentum shifting to Toronto. Los Angeles pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Toronto's surge. Toronto respond with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Blue Jays knocked out the starter quickly in an 11-4 victory.