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Less than a day following staggering through one of the most draining losses in World Series annals, the Toronto Blue Jays played with total command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber delivered a steady start as the Blue Jays defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, squaring the World Series at two games each and ensuring the series will head back to Toronto.

Toronto had spent the morning of Tuesday processing their 18-inning Game 3 loss – equal to the lengthiest World Series contest ever – a defeat that cost them the chance to lead the series and burned through both relief corps. Manager John Schneider stated later that “the Dodgers won a contest, not the championship”. A day later, his team offered emphatic evidence.

Early Action

The Los Angeles again scored first. Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, moved up on a single and scored on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial score did not shake a Toronto team that topped Major League Baseball with 49 comeback wins this year.

They responded right away in the third. Lukes hit a one away base hit to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in looking for a curveball. Shohei Ohtani left a sweeper up and Guerrero sent it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his first extra-base hit of the series and his 7th homer this playoffs – a fresh team record – regaining the Blue Jays's lead after 13 scoreless frames and changing the tone of the game.

Ohtani's Night

That hit also halted Shohei Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 consecutive plate appearances getting on base. The two-way phenomenon had smashed two homers and got on base a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' third game comeback win. But on that night, he took the mound on short rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the previous marathon.

Ohtani pitch speed sat below his regular-season average and he struggled more as the contest progressed. Nonetheless, he showed glimpses 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 record. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six base hits and four runs were credited to him in over six innings.

Late Game Surge

The larger problem for the Dodgers was what followed when he finally ran out of energy.

Varsho started the seventh with a sharp hit to right, and Ernie Clement smashed a two-base hit off the wall to put runners on with none out. Roberts had little choice but to remove Ohtani, who departed to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Los Angeles' bullpen 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 came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove the pitcher out of the contest. Blake Treinen came in next but also failed to stop the momentum: Bo Bichette and Barger punched run-scoring singles through the diamond, capping a four-score barrage that extended the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Blue Jays's capacity to absorb early blows and respond has characterized their entire postseason. They once again did it without Springer, the hurt leadoff hitter who exited the third game after tweaking his oblique.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what Toronto needed. Acquired mid-season while finishing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the former award-winning winner stranded multiple baserunners and quieted the Dodgers' potent lineup. He allowed one earned run on four hits and three free passes before Schneider called on rookie pitcher Fluharty to confront the heart of the lineup in the sixth. He needed just four pitches to retire Max Muncy and Edman, preserving a fragile advantage that soon became comfortable.

Former starting pitcher Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' bats continued to struggle. The Dodgers have scored only 3 scores over their previous 20 frames, an abrupt slowdown for a team that was among MLB's elite lineups all year.

Final Innings

The Los Angeles scraped a run in the ninth when Edman grounded out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Muncy's two-base hit put two on base. But Louis Varland finished the game without permitting a comeback to build.

After a night when Toronto stranded a World Series-record 19 runners and collapsed after repeated of wasted opportunities, Game 4 was brutally effective. Six different Blue Jays collected base hits, five drove in scores and the team converted nearly every scoring chance available in the late stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The victory ensures the championship trophy will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a championship since Joe Carter's famous game-winning homer in 1993. They now know they are guaranteed a packed crowd in Canada on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what occurs next in LA.

The fifth game approaches with the matchup reset and energy swinging to Toronto. Los Angeles left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Blue Jays's surge. The Blue Jays respond with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Toronto chased the starter early in an decisive win.