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Only 24 hours following staggering through 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 Shane Bieber provided 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 wins apiece and guaranteeing the matchup will return to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had passed the early hours of the next day processing their marathon third game defeat – equal to the lengthiest Fall Classic contest ever – a loss that denied them the chance to lead the matchup and burned through both bullpens. Manager John Schneider stated later that “the Dodgers took a contest, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad offered convincing evidence.

Early Innings

The Dodgers again scored first. Muncy walked in the second, moved up on a single and scored on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial score did not shake a Blue Jays club that topped Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind wins this year.

They answered right away in the third. Lukes lined a one away single to center field and Guerrero stepped in looking for a breaking ball. Ohtani threw a slider up and he drove it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his initial long hit of the series and his seventh homer this postseason – a fresh club record – regaining the Toronto's advantage after 13 shutout frames and changing the momentum of the night.

Shohei's Night

That hit also ended Ohtani's history-making run of 11 consecutive at-bats getting on base. The two-way star had smashed two homers and got on base a record nine times in the Dodgers' third game 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.

Ohtani pitch speed sat below his seasonal norm and he struggled more as the game progressed. Nonetheless, he showed flashes of his usual control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to continue his Fall Classic record. But the Blue Jays made him work: six hits and four runs were charged to him in over six innings.

Seventh Inning Rally

The bigger issue for Los Angeles was what came next when he finally lost energy.

Varsho started the seventh inning with a clean single to right, and Ernie Clement smashed a double off the fence to put two on with no outs. Dave Roberts had no option but to pull the starter, who exited to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Dodgers' bullpen could not complete the inning.

Anthony Banda inherited the mess and immediately fell behind. Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before driving in Varsho with a base hit to left. Ty France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove the pitcher out of the game. Blake Treinen entered next but also was unable to stop the rally: Bichette and Addison Barger hit RBI singles through the diamond, capping a four-score outburst that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Blue Jays's ability to withstand initial blows and answer has defined their whole postseason. They once again did it without Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order man who left Game 3 after straining his oblique.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was everything Toronto required. Traded for during the summer while finishing rehab from elbow surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner left multiple runners and silenced the Dodgers' potent lineup. He allowed one run on four base hits and three free passes before the manager called on rookie pitcher Fluharty to face the heart of the lineup in the sixth. Fluharty required just 4 pitches to retire Muncy and Edman, preserving a fragile lead that soon became comfortable.

Former starter Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' offense continued to sputter. Los Angeles have produced only 3 scores over their previous 20 frames, an abrupt downturn for a team that ranked among baseball's elite offenses all year.

Final Innings

The Los Angeles scraped a score in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman hit into an out to score Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's two-base hit put runners aboard. But Varland finished the game without allowing a comeback to build.

After a game when Toronto stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and fell apart after repeated of wasted chances, the fourth contest was ruthlessly effective. 6 different Toronto players collected hits, 5 drove in 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 presented at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a championship since Joe Carter's iconic walk-off homer in 1993. They now are aware they are guaranteed a packed house in Canada on Friday night – and possibly Saturday – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 approaches with the matchup reset and momentum shifting to Toronto. Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Blue Jays's surge. Toronto counter with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Blue Jays chased Snell quickly in an decisive victory.