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Less than a day following staggering through one of the most draining defeats in Fall Classic annals, the Blue Jays played with total control.

Guerrero crushed a two-run home run and Bieber delivered a steady start as the Blue Jays defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, squaring the World Series at two games each and guaranteeing the matchup will return to Canada.

Toronto had passed the morning of Tuesday dealing with their 18-inning Game 3 loss – tied for the lengthiest Fall Classic game ever – a defeat that denied them the opportunity to take the lead in the matchup and depleted both relief corps. Skipper Schneider insisted afterwards that “they took a contest, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad offered emphatic proof.

Initial Innings

The Los Angeles again scored first. Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, advanced on a single and scored on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the early score did not shake a Toronto club that topped Major League Baseball with 49 comeback victories this year.

They answered immediately in the third. Nathan Lukes hit a one-out base hit to center field and Guerrero stepped in hunting a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani threw a slider up and Guerrero sent it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his initial extra-base hit of the series and his 7th home run this postseason – a new club record – regaining the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 shutout frames and shifting the tone of the night.

Shohei's Night

That swing also halted Shohei Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 consecutive plate appearances reaching base. The dual-threat phenomenon 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 limited rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the prior extra-inning game.

Ohtani pitch speed sat under his seasonal norm and he struggled more as the contest progressed. Nonetheless, he showed glimpses of his usual command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and striking out six. He even walked in the first to continue his Fall Classic streak. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six base hits and four runs were credited to him in over six frames.

Late Game Surge

The larger issue for Los Angeles was what followed when Ohtani finally ran out of steam.

Varsho started the seventh with a clean single to right, and Clement drilled a double off the wall to put runners on with none out. Dave Roberts had no option but to pull the starter, who departed to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not complete the inning.

Banda inherited the mess and immediately trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before scoring the runner with a single to left. Ty France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock the pitcher out of the contest. Blake Treinen came in next but also failed to stem the rally: Bichette and Addison Barger hit RBI base hits through the diamond, capping a four-run outburst that extended the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Toronto's ability to withstand initial blows and respond has characterized their whole run. They once again did it without Springer, the injured leadoff hitter who left Game 3 after tweaking his right side.

Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what Toronto needed. Traded for during the summer while completing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the former award-winning winner stranded multiple runners and quieted the Los Angeles' dangerous batting order. He allowed one earned run on four hits and three free passes before Schneider called on first-year pitcher Mason Fluharty to face the core of the lineup in the sixth. He needed just 4 throws to get out Muncy and Edman, preserving a narrow advantage that soon grew safe.

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

Final Innings

The Los Angeles managed a score in the ninth when Tommy Edman hit into an out to bring home Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's double put two on base. But Louis Varland closed it down without permitting a rally to build.

After a game when Toronto left a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and fell apart after repeated of missed opportunities, Game 4 was brutally efficient. Six separate Blue Jays collected hits, five brought home runs and the squad converted nearly every scoring opportunity presented in the late stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The victory ensures the championship title will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not celebrated a title since Carter's famous walk-off homer in '93. They now know they are assured a full house in Toronto on Friday night – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 approaches with the matchup reset and energy shifting north. Los Angeles pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Blue Jays's momentum. Toronto respond with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Toronto knocked out Snell early in an decisive win.