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Only 24 hours following enduring one of the most draining defeats in World Series history, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed complete command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run homer and Shane 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 games each and guaranteeing the matchup will return to Toronto.

Toronto had spent the early hours of the next day dealing with their marathon third game defeat – equal to the longest World Series contest ever – a defeat that cost them the opportunity to lead the matchup and burned through both relief corps. Manager John Schneider insisted later that “the Dodgers took a game, not the championship”. A day later, his team offered convincing evidence.

Early Action

The Dodgers again scored first. Max Muncy walked in the second inning, advanced on a base hit and scored on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early score did not rattle a Blue Jays team that led MLB with 49 comeback victories this year.

They responded immediately in the third inning. Nathan Lukes lined a one away single to center field and Guerrero came to the plate hunting a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani left a sweeper up and he drove it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his first extra-base hit of the series and his seventh home run this playoffs – a fresh club mark – restoring the Blue Jays's lead after 13 scoreless frames and shifting the tone of the night.

Ohtani's Performance

That hit also halted Shohei Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 straight at-bats reaching base. The two-way star had smashed two home runs and got on base a record nine times in the Dodgers' third game walk-off. But on that night, he took the mound on limited rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the prior extra-inning game.

Ohtani pitch speed was below his regular-season average and he labored more as the game progressed. Even so, he displayed flashes of his usual control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first to extend his World Series streak. But the Toronto made him work: six base hits and four earned runs were charged to him in six-plus innings.

Late Game Rally

The bigger problem for Los Angeles was what followed when Ohtani finally lost energy.

Varsho started the seventh with a clean hit to right, and Clement smashed a two-base hit off the fence to put two on with no outs. Roberts had no option but to pull the starter, who departed to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not complete the inning.

Anthony Banda came into the mess and right away trailed in the count. Giménez battled to a full count before scoring the runner with a base hit to left field. Ty France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock the pitcher out of the game. Treinen entered next but also failed to stem the rally: Bo Bichette and Barger hit run-scoring singles through the diamond, capping a four-score barrage that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Blue Jays's ability to absorb early blows and respond has defined their whole run. They once again succeeded without Springer, the hurt leadoff hitter who left Game 3 after tweaking his oblique.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was everything Toronto needed. Traded for during the summer while completing recovery from elbow surgery, the former award-winning winner stranded multiple baserunners and silenced the Los Angeles' potent batting order. He allowed one run on four hits and three free passes before the manager called on first-year pitcher Fluharty to face the core of the lineup in the sixth. He needed just four throws to get out Muncy and Edman, protecting a narrow lead that soon grew safe.

Converted starter Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' offense continued to struggle. Los Angeles have produced only 3 runs over their previous 20 innings, an abrupt downturn for a team that was among MLB's elite offenses all year.

Closing Moments

The Los Angeles managed a score in the ninth inning when Edman hit into an out to bring home Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's double put runners on base. But Louis Varland finished the game without permitting a rally to build.

Following a game when the Blue Jays stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after repeated of missed chances, Game 4 was brutally effective. 6 different Blue Jays collected hits, 5 drove in runs and the squad cashed almost every scoring chance available in the final innings.

Looking Ahead

The victory ensures the championship trophy will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not celebrated a title since Carter's iconic game-winning homer in '93. They now are aware they are assured a packed house in Toronto on Friday evening – and possibly the next day – no matter what occurs next in LA.

The fifth game looms with the matchup even and energy shifting north. Los Angeles pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Blue Jays's surge. The Blue Jays counter with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Blue Jays chased Snell early in an decisive win.