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Only 24 hours after staggering through one of the most exhausting losses in Fall Classic annals, the Blue Jays played with total control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber provided a composed start as the Blue Jays defeated the 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 return to Canada.

Toronto had passed the morning of the next day processing their 18-inning Game 3 loss – tied for the longest Fall Classic game ever – a defeat that denied them the opportunity to take the lead in the matchup and burned through both bullpens. Manager Schneider insisted later that “they won a contest, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his team offered emphatic evidence.

Initial Action

The Los Angeles again struck first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, moved up on a single and scored on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial score did not rattle a Blue Jays club that topped MLB with 49 come-from-behind wins this year.

They responded right away in the third. Nathan Lukes hit a one-out base hit to center field and Guerrero stepped in looking for a breaking ball. Ohtani left a sweeper up and Guerrero drove it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his initial long hit of the series and his seventh homer this postseason – a fresh club record – restoring the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 scoreless innings and shifting the momentum of the night.

Ohtani's Performance

That swing also ended Ohtani's history-making run of 11 consecutive plate appearances getting on base. The two-way star had hit two home runs and got on base a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 walk-off. But on that night, he started on limited rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the prior extra-inning game.

Ohtani pitch speed was under his regular-season norm and he labored more as the contest wore on. Nonetheless, he showed flashes of his usual control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first to continue his World Series record. But the Toronto made him work: six hits and four earned runs were charged to him in over six frames.

Seventh Inning Surge

The larger problem for the Dodgers was what followed when he finally lost steam.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh inning with a sharp hit to right field, and Ernie Clement smashed a double off the wall to put two on with no outs. Roberts had no option but to remove the starter, who departed to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Dodgers' bullpen could not complete the escape.

Anthony Banda came into the mess and immediately trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before scoring Varsho with a single to left. Ty France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove the pitcher out of the game. Blake Treinen came in next but also failed to stop the momentum: Bo Bichette and Barger hit RBI base hits through the infield, completing a four-score outburst that extended the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Blue Jays's capacity to absorb initial blows and respond has characterized their entire postseason. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the injured leadoff hitter who left the third game after straining his right side.

Bieber, meanwhile, was everything the Blue Jays needed. Traded for mid-season while completing recovery from elbow surgery, the former award-winning winner stranded several runners and quieted the Los Angeles' dangerous batting order. He allowed one earned run on four hits and three walks before the manager summoned first-year left-hander Fluharty to face the core of the lineup in the sixth inning. Fluharty needed just four throws to get out Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a fragile lead that soon grew comfortable.

Former starter Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' bats continued to sputter. Los Angeles have scored only 3 runs over their previous 20 innings, an abrupt downturn for a team that ranked among MLB's top lineups all season.

Closing Innings

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

Following a night when Toronto left a World Series-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after repeated of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was ruthlessly effective. Six different Blue Jays recorded hits, 5 brought home runs and the squad cashed almost every scoring opportunity available in the final stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The victory guarantees the World Series trophy will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not won a title since Carter's iconic game-winning homer in 1993. They now know they are guaranteed a packed house in Canada on Friday night – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 approaches with the matchup even and energy swinging to Toronto. Los Angeles pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Toronto's momentum. The Blue Jays respond with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Blue Jays chased Snell quickly in an 11-4 win.