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Only 24 hours after enduring one of the most draining losses in Fall Classic annals, the Toronto Blue Jays played with total command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run homer and Bieber delivered a composed start as Toronto defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, squaring the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and ensuring the matchup will return to Canada.

The Blue Jays had spent the early hours of the next day processing their 18-inning Game 3 loss – tied for the longest World Series contest ever – a loss that denied them the opportunity to take the lead in the matchup and burned through both relief corps. Manager John Schneider stated later that “they won a contest, not the World Series”. A day later, his squad provided convincing evidence.

Initial Innings

The Dodgers again scored first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second, advanced on a single and crossed the plate on Hernández's fly out. But the initial score did not rattle a Toronto club that led MLB with 49 come-from-behind wins this season.

They responded right away in the third inning. Nathan Lukes lined a one-out base hit to center field and Guerrero came to the plate looking for a breaking ball. Ohtani threw a sweeper up and he drove it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his first extra-base hit of the World Series and his seventh homer this postseason – a fresh club record – regaining the Toronto's lead after 13 scoreless innings and shifting the tone of the game.

Ohtani's Performance

That hit also ended Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 consecutive at-bats reaching base. The two-way phenomenon had hit two homers and reached safely a record nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 walk-off. But on that night, he started on short rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the previous marathon.

His pitch speed was below his seasonal average and he struggled more as the game wore on. Nonetheless, he displayed flashes of his usual control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and fanning six. He even walked in the first inning to extend his World Series record. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six hits and four runs were charged to him in over six innings.

Seventh Inning Rally

The larger problem for the Dodgers was what came next when Ohtani finally ran out of energy.

Daulton Varsho started the seventh inning with a sharp single to right, and 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 local fans. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not complete the escape.

Anthony Banda inherited the jam and immediately fell behind. Giménez battled to a full count before scoring Varsho with a base hit to left field. Ty France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove the pitcher out of the contest. Treinen entered next but also failed to stop the momentum: Bichette and Barger hit RBI base hits through the diamond, completing a four-run barrage that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Toronto's capacity to withstand initial blows and respond has defined their entire run. They once again succeeded without Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order man who exited Game 3 after tweaking his right side.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was everything Toronto required. Traded for during the summer while completing recovery from elbow surgery, the former Cy Young winner left multiple baserunners and silenced the Los Angeles' dangerous batting order. He gave up one run on four base hits and three walks before Schneider called on rookie pitcher Mason Fluharty to face the core of the order in the sixth. Fluharty needed just four pitches to get out Muncy and Edman, preserving a fragile advantage that soon became safe.

Former starter Chris Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' bats continued to sputter. The Dodgers have scored only 3 scores over their last 20 innings, an abrupt slowdown for a team that was among baseball's elite lineups all season.

Closing Moments

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

After a night when Toronto left a World Series-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after repeated of missed chances, the fourth contest was ruthlessly efficient. 6 separate Blue Jays recorded hits, 5 brought home scores and the team converted nearly every run-scoring chance presented in the late innings.

Looking Ahead

The win guarantees the championship title will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a championship since Joe Carter's iconic game-winning home run in '93. They now are aware they are guaranteed a packed crowd in Toronto on Friday night – and possibly Saturday – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

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