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

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run home run and Bieber delivered a composed start as Toronto beat the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, squaring the Fall Classic at two games each and ensuring the matchup will return to Canada.

The Blue Jays had passed the early hours of the next day dealing with their marathon Game 3 loss – equal to the lengthiest Fall Classic game ever – a loss that cost them the opportunity to take the lead in the series and burned through both relief corps. Skipper Schneider stated later that “they took a game, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his team offered convincing evidence.

Early Innings

The Dodgers again scored first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, advanced on a single and scored on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early breakthrough did not rattle a Toronto team that led Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind wins this season.

They answered right away in the third. Nathan Lukes hit a one-out single to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in looking for a curveball. Shohei Ohtani threw a sweeper up and Guerrero sent it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his first extra-base hit of the series and his 7th homer this postseason – a new team mark – regaining the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 scoreless frames and shifting the tone of the game.

Ohtani's Performance

That hit also halted Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 straight at-bats reaching base. The two-way star had smashed two home runs and reached safely 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 requiring an IV to recuperate from the prior extra-inning game.

His pitch speed sat under his regular-season norm and he labored more as the contest wore on. Nonetheless, he showed glimpses of his usual command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and fanning six. He even walked in the first inning to continue his Fall Classic record. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six base hits and four earned runs were charged to him in over six frames.

Seventh Inning Surge

The bigger problem for Los Angeles was what followed when he eventually ran out of steam.

Varsho started the seventh inning with a clean hit to right, and Ernie Clement smashed a double off the fence to put runners on with none out. Dave Roberts had little choice but to pull the starter, who departed to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not complete the inning.

Banda came into the jam and immediately fell behind. Andrés Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before driving in the runner with a base hit to left. Ty France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove Banda out of the contest. Treinen entered next but also was unable to stop the momentum: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger hit RBI singles through the infield, capping a four-score barrage that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Blue Jays's capacity to withstand initial blows and answer has characterized their entire run. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the hurt leadoff man who left Game 3 after tweaking his right side.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what Toronto required. Acquired during the summer while finishing recovery from elbow surgery, the ex- award-winning winner stranded several runners and quieted the Los Angeles' dangerous batting order. He gave up one earned run on four base hits and three walks before Schneider summoned rookie left-hander Fluharty to confront the core of the lineup in the sixth inning. He needed just 4 throws to get out Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a fragile advantage that soon became safe.

Converted starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' offense continued to struggle. Los Angeles have scored only 3 runs over their previous 20 innings, an sudden slowdown for a club that was among MLB's top lineups all season.

Closing Moments

The Los Angeles managed a score in the ninth inning when Edman hit into an out to bring home Hernández after a walk and Muncy's double put two on base. But Varland closed it down without allowing a rally to develop.

Following a game when Toronto stranded a World Series-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after repeated of wasted chances, Game 4 was ruthlessly efficient. Six different Blue Jays collected base hits, 5 brought home scores and the squad converted almost every scoring chance available in the late stanzas.

Next Up

The win ensures the World Series title will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a championship since Carter's iconic walk-off home run in 1993. They now know they are assured a full crowd in Toronto on Friday night – and possibly Saturday – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 approaches with the matchup reset and momentum swinging to Toronto. Los Angeles left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Toronto's momentum. Toronto respond with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Toronto knocked out Snell quickly in an decisive win.