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Less than a day after staggering through one of the most draining defeats in World Series annals, the Blue Jays played with total control.

Guerrero smashed a two-run homer and Bieber delivered a steady start as the Blue Jays beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, tying the World Series at two games each and ensuring the series will head back to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had passed the early hours of Tuesday processing their 18-inning Game 3 loss – tied for the longest World Series game ever – a defeat that denied them the chance to take the lead in the series and depleted both relief corps. Manager John Schneider insisted later that “they took a game, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his team provided convincing evidence.

Initial Action

The Dodgers again scored first. Max Muncy walked in the second, advanced on a single and scored on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the initial breakthrough did not rattle a Blue Jays team that led Major League Baseball with 49 comeback victories this year.

They answered immediately in the third. Nathan Lukes hit a one away base hit to center field and Guerrero came to the plate looking for a curveball. Ohtani threw a sweeper up and he sent it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his first long hit of the series and his 7th homer this playoffs – a fresh team mark – regaining the Blue Jays's lead after 13 shutout frames and changing the tone of the night.

Ohtani's Night

That swing also ended Ohtani's history-making run of 11 straight at-bats reaching base. The dual-threat star had smashed two homers and reached safely a record nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 comeback win. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on short rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the prior marathon.

Ohtani fastball velocity was under his seasonal norm and he struggled more as the game wore on. Even so, he displayed glimpses of his typical command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to extend his World Series record. But the Blue Jays made him work: six base hits and four runs were credited to him in six-plus innings.

Seventh Inning Surge

The bigger issue for Los Angeles was what came next when Ohtani eventually lost energy.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh inning with a sharp single to right, and Clement drilled a two-base hit off the fence to put two on with no outs. Dave Roberts had no option but to pull Ohtani, who exited to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Dodgers' bullpen could not finish the escape.

Anthony Banda came into the mess and immediately fell behind. Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before driving in the runner with a single to left. France followed 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 was unable to stem the momentum: Bo Bichette and Barger punched RBI base hits through the infield, capping a four-score barrage that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Blue Jays's capacity to absorb initial setbacks and answer has defined their entire postseason. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the injured top-of-the-order man who exited Game 3 after tweaking his oblique.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was everything Toronto needed. Acquired during the summer while finishing rehab from elbow surgery, the former award-winning winner stranded several baserunners and quieted the Dodgers' dangerous lineup. He gave up one run on four base hits and three free passes before Schneider called on first-year pitcher Fluharty to confront the core of the order in the sixth. He required just 4 throws to retire Muncy and Edman, preserving a fragile advantage that soon grew safe.

Former starting pitcher Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' offense continued to sputter. Los Angeles have produced only 3 runs over their previous 20 innings, an sudden downturn for a team that ranked among baseball's top lineups all year.

Closing Innings

The Dodgers scraped a run in the ninth when Edman hit into an out to score Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's double put two aboard. But Louis Varland finished the game without permitting a comeback to develop.

After a game when the Blue Jays stranded a World Series-record 19 runners and fell apart after wave upon wave of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was ruthlessly efficient. 6 separate Blue Jays collected hits, five brought home runs and the squad converted nearly every scoring chance presented in the late innings.

Looking Ahead

The win guarantees the World Series title will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a championship since Carter's famous walk-off home run in '93. They now know they are assured a full crowd in Toronto on Friday evening – and possibly the next day – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 approaches with the matchup even and energy shifting to Toronto. Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Toronto's momentum. Toronto counter with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Toronto knocked out the starter quickly in an decisive victory.