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Less than a day after enduring one of the most draining losses in World Series history, the Blue Jays played with complete command.

Guerrero crushed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber delivered a steady start as Toronto beat the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, tying the Fall Classic at two games each and guaranteeing the matchup will return to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had spent the early hours of the next day processing their 18-inning Game 3 loss – equal to the lengthiest Fall Classic game ever – a loss that cost them the chance to lead the matchup and burned through both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider stated afterwards that “they won a game, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his team offered convincing evidence.

Early Innings

The Los Angeles again struck first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second, advanced on a single and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early breakthrough did not rattle a Toronto team that led Major League Baseball with 49 comeback victories this year.

They answered immediately in the third inning. Nathan Lukes lined a one-out base hit to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in hunting a breaking ball. Ohtani threw a slider up and he sent it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his first long hit of the series and his 7th home run this playoffs – a new club record – regaining the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 shutout frames and changing the tone of the game.

Shohei's Night

That hit also halted Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 straight plate appearances getting on base. The dual-threat star had hit two homers and reached safely a historic nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 walk-off. But on Tuesday, he started on short rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the previous marathon.

Ohtani pitch speed sat under his regular-season average and he struggled more as the game progressed. Nonetheless, he displayed glimpses of his usual command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and striking out six. He even walked in the first to continue his World Series streak. But the Toronto made him work: six base hits and four runs were charged to him in over six innings.

Late Game Surge

The larger issue for Los Angeles was what followed when Ohtani eventually lost energy.

Varsho opened the seventh inning with a clean single to right, and Ernie Clement drilled a double off the fence to put runners on with no outs. Roberts had little choice but to remove Ohtani, who departed to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not complete the inning.

Anthony Banda came into the mess and right away trailed in the count. Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before driving in the runner with a single to left field. France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock Banda out of the contest. Treinen came in next but also failed to stop the rally: Bichette and Addison Barger punched run-scoring singles through the diamond, completing a four-score barrage that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Toronto's ability to absorb early blows and answer has defined their whole run. They once again succeeded without Springer, the injured leadoff man who exited Game 3 after tweaking his right side.

Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what the Blue Jays required. Acquired mid-season while completing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the former award-winning winner stranded multiple baserunners and silenced the Dodgers' dangerous batting order. He gave up one run on four hits and three free passes before the manager called on rookie left-hander Fluharty to confront the core of the lineup in the sixth. He needed just 4 throws to get out Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a narrow advantage that quickly grew safe.

Former starter Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' bats kept to struggle. Los Angeles have scored only 3 scores over their last 20 innings, an sudden downturn for a team that ranked among baseball's top lineups all year.

Closing Moments

The Los Angeles scraped a score in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman grounded out to score Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's two-base hit put runners on base. But Louis Varland finished the game without allowing a rally to develop.

Following a night when the Blue Jays stranded a World Series-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after repeated of missed opportunities, Game 4 was ruthlessly effective. 6 separate Blue Jays collected base hits, 5 drove in runs and the team converted nearly every run-scoring opportunity presented in the late stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The win ensures the championship title will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a championship since Joe Carter's famous game-winning homer in '93. They now know they are guaranteed a full house in Canada on Friday night – and possibly the next day – no matter what occurs next in LA.

The fifth game looms with the series even and momentum swinging north. Los Angeles pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Toronto's momentum. The Blue Jays respond with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Blue Jays knocked out the starter quickly in an decisive victory.