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Less than a day following staggering through one of the most exhausting defeats in Fall Classic annals, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed total control.

Guerrero crushed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber provided a composed outing as Toronto beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, tying the World Series at two games each and guaranteeing the series will head back to Canada.

Toronto had spent the early hours of the next day dealing with their 18-inning third game defeat – equal to the longest World Series contest ever – a defeat that cost them the chance to lead the matchup and depleted both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider insisted afterwards that “they won a game, not the championship”. A day later, his squad provided convincing proof.

Early Innings

The Dodgers again scored first. Muncy drew a walk in the second, moved up on a base hit and scored on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early score did not shake a Blue Jays team that topped Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind victories this year.

They responded immediately in the third. Nathan Lukes hit a one-out base hit to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in hunting a curveball. Shohei Ohtani threw a slider up and he sent it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his first extra-base hit of the World Series and his 7th homer this playoffs – a fresh team record – regaining the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 scoreless innings and shifting the momentum of the night.

Ohtani's Performance

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

His fastball velocity was below his seasonal norm and he labored more as the contest wore on. Nonetheless, he showed flashes of his usual control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and striking out six. He even walked in the first to extend his Fall Classic streak. But the Toronto made him work: six hits and four runs were charged to him in over six frames.

Late Game Rally

The bigger issue for Los Angeles was what followed when he eventually ran out of energy.

Varsho started the seventh with a sharp hit to right, and Ernie Clement drilled a double off the fence to put runners on with none out. Dave Roberts had no option but to remove the starter, who departed to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Dodgers' bullpen could not complete the inning.

Anthony Banda inherited the jam and right away fell behind. Andrés Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before scoring Varsho with a single to left field. France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock the pitcher out of the game. Blake Treinen came in next but also failed to stem the momentum: Bichette and Barger hit RBI base hits through the infield, completing a four-score barrage that extended the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Toronto's capacity to withstand initial blows and respond has defined their whole run. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the injured leadoff hitter who exited the third game after tweaking his oblique.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was everything Toronto needed. Acquired mid-season while completing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the former Cy Young winner stranded several baserunners and silenced the Los Angeles' potent batting order. He gave up one run on four hits and three walks before the manager called on rookie pitcher Fluharty to confront the heart of the lineup in the sixth inning. Fluharty needed just four throws to get out Muncy and Edman, preserving a narrow lead that soon became comfortable.

Converted starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' bats kept to sputter. The Dodgers have scored only 3 runs over their last 20 innings, an abrupt downturn for a club that was among baseball's top offenses all year.

Final Moments

The Dodgers managed a score in the ninth when Tommy Edman grounded out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's two-base hit put runners on base. But Louis Varland finished the game without allowing a rally to build.

After a game when Toronto stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after repeated of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was ruthlessly efficient. Six separate Blue Jays recorded base hits, five brought home scores and the squad converted almost every run-scoring chance presented in the late innings.

Looking Ahead

The win guarantees the World Series title will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not celebrated a title since Joe Carter's iconic walk-off home run in '93. They now know they are assured a packed crowd in Toronto on Friday evening – and possibly Saturday – no matter what happens next in LA.

Game 5 approaches with the series even and momentum swinging to Toronto. Los Angeles pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Toronto's surge. The Blue Jays counter with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Blue Jays chased Snell quickly in an decisive victory.