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Less than a day after enduring one of the most exhausting losses in Fall Classic annals, the Blue Jays played with total control.

Guerrero crushed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber provided a steady start as Toronto beat the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, tying the World Series at two wins apiece and ensuring the series will head back to Canada.

Toronto had spent the morning of Tuesday processing their 18-inning Game 3 loss – tied for the longest World Series contest ever – a loss that denied them the chance to take the lead in the matchup and depleted both bullpens. Manager Schneider stated afterwards that “the Dodgers took a contest, not the championship”. A day later, his squad provided convincing proof.

Initial Action

The Dodgers again struck first. Muncy walked in the second, advanced on a single and scored on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early score did not shake a Toronto club that topped MLB with 49 come-from-behind wins this season.

They answered immediately in the third inning. Lukes hit a one away single to centre and Guerrero stepped in hunting a breaking ball. Ohtani left a slider up and Guerrero sent it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his first extra-base hit of the series and his 7th homer this postseason – a fresh club mark – restoring the Toronto's advantage after 13 shutout frames and shifting the tone of the game.

Ohtani's Night

That hit also ended Shohei Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 consecutive plate appearances reaching base. The two-way phenomenon had hit two home runs and reached safely a record nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 walk-off. But on that night, he started on short rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the prior extra-inning game.

Ohtani fastball velocity was below his regular-season norm and he struggled more as the contest progressed. Nonetheless, he displayed flashes of his typical control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and fanning six. He even walked in the first inning to continue his Fall Classic streak. 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 problem for the Dodgers was what followed when Ohtani finally lost energy.

Varsho started the seventh inning with a sharp single to right, and Ernie Clement smashed a double off the fence to put runners on with no outs. Dave Roberts had little choice but to pull Ohtani, who departed to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Dodgers' bullpen could not complete the inning.

Anthony Banda came into the jam and right away trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez battled to a full count before scoring the runner with a base hit to left field. Ty France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock the pitcher out of the game. Treinen entered next but also failed to stop the momentum: Bo Bichette and Barger punched run-scoring singles through the diamond, completing a four-score barrage that extended the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Toronto's ability to withstand initial blows and respond has defined their whole postseason. They once again succeeded without Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order man who left the third game after straining his right side.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was everything Toronto needed. Traded for during the summer while completing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the former Cy Young winner stranded several runners and silenced the Dodgers' potent lineup. He gave up one earned run on four hits and three free passes before the manager called on first-year pitcher Fluharty to face the heart of the order in the sixth. Fluharty needed just four throws to retire Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a narrow lead that quickly became safe.

Former starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' bats continued to sputter. Los Angeles have produced only 3 runs over their previous 20 frames, an sudden downturn for a club that was among baseball's elite lineups all year.

Closing Innings

The Dodgers managed a score in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman grounded out to bring home Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's double put two aboard. But Varland finished the game without allowing a rally to build.

After a night when Toronto stranded a World Series-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after repeated of missed opportunities, Game 4 was brutally efficient. Six different Toronto players recorded hits, 5 drove in runs and the team cashed almost every run-scoring chance presented in the late innings.

Looking Ahead

The win guarantees the championship trophy will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not won a championship since Carter's famous game-winning homer in 1993. They now are aware they are guaranteed a full house in Canada on Friday night – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 approaches with the series even and momentum shifting north. Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest 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 the starter early in an decisive win.