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Less than a day following enduring one of the most exhausting losses in World Series history, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed total command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber delivered a steady start as the Blue Jays beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, tying the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and ensuring the matchup will head back to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had spent the early hours of Tuesday processing their marathon Game 3 loss – equal to the lengthiest World Series contest ever – a loss that denied them the opportunity to lead the series and depleted both bullpens. Manager Schneider stated later that “they won a contest, not the championship”. A day later, his squad offered convincing evidence.

Initial Action

The Los Angeles again scored first. Max Muncy walked in the second inning, moved up on a single and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the early score did not rattle a Blue Jays team that led Major League Baseball with 49 comeback wins this season.

They responded immediately in the third. Lukes lined a one away base hit to center field and Guerrero came to the plate hunting a curveball. Ohtani threw a sweeper up and he drove it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his first extra-base hit of the World Series and his 7th homer this playoffs – a new team record – restoring the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 scoreless frames and shifting the momentum of the game.

Ohtani's Performance

That swing also ended Shohei Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 straight plate appearances getting on base. The dual-threat star had smashed two homers and reached safely a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 comeback win. But on that night, he took the mound on limited rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the prior extra-inning game.

Ohtani pitch speed sat below his regular-season average and he labored more as the game progressed. Even so, he displayed glimpses of his usual control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and fanning six. He even walked in the first inning to extend his World Series record. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six base hits and four earned runs were credited to him in over six innings.

Late Game Surge

The larger problem for the Dodgers was what came next when Ohtani finally ran out of steam.

Varsho opened the seventh inning with a sharp hit to right, and Ernie Clement smashed a two-base hit off the fence to put runners on with no outs. Roberts had little choice but to pull the starter, who departed to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Dodgers' bullpen could not finish the inning.

Banda came into the mess and right away fell behind. Giménez battled to a full count before driving in Varsho with a single to left field. France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock Banda out of the game. Treinen entered next but also failed to stop the rally: Bo Bichette and Barger hit run-scoring base hits through the infield, completing a four-score barrage that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Blue Jays's capacity to withstand initial blows and answer has defined their whole postseason. They once again did it without Springer, the hurt leadoff man who exited Game 3 after tweaking his oblique.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was everything the Blue Jays needed. Acquired mid-season while completing recovery from elbow surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner stranded several runners and quieted the Dodgers' dangerous batting order. He gave up one earned run on four hits and three walks before the manager summoned first-year pitcher Fluharty to confront the core of the lineup in the sixth inning. Fluharty needed just 4 throws to get out Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a narrow lead that soon grew safe.

Former starter Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' offense continued to struggle. The Dodgers have scored only three runs over their previous 20 innings, an sudden downturn for a team that was among baseball's top offenses all season.

Final Innings

The Los Angeles managed a run in the ninth inning when Edman hit into an out to score Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's two-base hit put runners on base. But Varland closed it down without permitting a comeback to develop.

After a game when the Blue Jays left a World Series-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after wave upon wave of wasted chances, Game 4 was brutally effective. Six separate Blue Jays collected hits, 5 brought home scores and the team cashed nearly every scoring opportunity presented in the final stanzas.

Next Up

The win ensures the World Series title will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not won a championship since Joe Carter's famous game-winning homer in '93. They now know they are assured a full crowd in Canada on Friday night – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game looms with the matchup even and energy shifting to Toronto. Los Angeles left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Toronto's momentum. Toronto respond with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Blue Jays knocked out the starter early in an decisive victory.