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

Guerrero smashed a two-run homer and Bieber provided a steady start as the Blue Jays beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, tying the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and ensuring the series will head back to Canada.

The Blue Jays had spent the morning of the next day dealing with their marathon Game 3 loss – equal to the lengthiest World Series contest ever – a defeat that denied them the chance to lead the series and burned through both bullpens. Manager Schneider stated later that “the Dodgers won a game, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad provided convincing evidence.

Early Innings

The Dodgers again struck first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, moved up on a single and scored on Hernández's fly out. But the early score did not rattle a Blue Jays team that topped Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind wins this season.

They responded immediately in the third. Nathan Lukes hit a one away base hit to centre and Guerrero came to the plate looking for a curveball. Shohei Ohtani left a slider up and he drove it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his initial extra-base hit of the World Series and his seventh homer this playoffs – a new club record – regaining the Toronto's advantage after 13 shutout frames and shifting the tone of the night.

Ohtani's Night

That swing also halted Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 consecutive at-bats reaching base. The two-way star had hit two homers and got on base a record nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 comeback win. But on that night, he started on short rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the prior extra-inning game.

His pitch speed sat below his regular-season norm and he labored more as the contest progressed. Nonetheless, he showed flashes of his usual control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first to continue his Fall Classic record. But the Toronto made him work: six hits and four runs were charged to him in six-plus innings.

Seventh Inning Surge

The larger issue for Los Angeles was what followed when Ohtani finally lost steam.

Varsho started the seventh inning with a sharp hit to right field, and Clement smashed a two-base hit off the fence to put two on with no outs. Roberts had no option but to remove the starter, who exited to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Dodgers' bullpen could not complete the inning.

Banda inherited the jam and immediately trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before driving in the runner with a single to left. Ty France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove the pitcher out of the contest. Blake Treinen entered next but also failed to stop the momentum: Bichette and Addison Barger hit run-scoring singles through the diamond, completing a four-score barrage that extended the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Toronto's capacity to withstand early blows and respond has characterized their whole run. They once again did it without George Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order man who left Game 3 after straining his oblique.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what Toronto needed. Traded for mid-season while finishing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the former award-winning winner left multiple runners and silenced the Los Angeles' potent lineup. He gave up one earned run on four base hits and three walks before the manager summoned first-year left-hander Mason Fluharty to confront the heart of the lineup in the sixth. He required just 4 throws to retire Max Muncy and Edman, protecting a narrow advantage that soon grew safe.

Former starter Chris Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' bats kept to sputter. The Dodgers have scored only 3 scores over their last 20 frames, an sudden downturn for a club that was among MLB's top offenses all year.

Final Innings

The Los Angeles managed a run in the ninth when Edman grounded out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's double put runners on base. But Varland finished the game without permitting a comeback to develop.

Following a game when Toronto left a World Series-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after wave upon wave of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was brutally efficient. 6 separate Blue Jays collected hits, five brought home runs and the team cashed nearly every run-scoring chance presented in the late stanzas.

Next Up

The win ensures the championship title will be presented at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not won a title since Carter's iconic walk-off homer in '93. 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.

The fifth game approaches with the matchup reset and energy shifting north. Los Angeles pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Toronto's momentum. Toronto counter with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Toronto knocked out Snell quickly in an 11-4 victory.