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Only 24 hours after staggering through one of the most exhausting losses in World Series annals, the Toronto Blue Jays played with total command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber delivered a steady outing as Toronto beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, squaring the World Series at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Canada.

The Blue Jays had passed the morning of the next day dealing with their 18-inning Game 3 loss – equal to the lengthiest Fall Classic game ever – a defeat that cost them the chance to lead the series and depleted both relief corps. Manager Schneider insisted later that “the Dodgers took a game, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad offered convincing proof.

Early Innings

The Los Angeles again scored first. Max Muncy walked in the second inning, advanced on a base hit and crossed the plate on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial breakthrough did not shake a Blue Jays club that led MLB with 49 come-from-behind victories this year.

They answered right away in the third inning. Lukes hit a one-out base hit to center field and Guerrero came to the plate hunting a curveball. Ohtani left a sweeper up and Guerrero drove it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his first extra-base hit of the World Series and his 7th home run this postseason – a new club mark – regaining the Toronto's advantage after 13 shutout frames and shifting the momentum of the night.

Shohei's Night

That hit also halted Shohei Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 consecutive plate appearances getting on base. The dual-threat star had smashed two homers and reached safely a record nine times in the Los Angeles' third game comeback win. But on that night, he took the mound on short rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the prior marathon.

His pitch speed sat below his seasonal norm and he struggled more as the game progressed. Nonetheless, he displayed flashes of his typical command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to extend his Fall Classic record. But the Toronto made him work: six base hits and four runs were credited to him in six-plus innings.

Late Game Surge

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

Varsho opened the seventh inning with a sharp hit to right field, and Ernie Clement drilled a two-base hit off the wall to put two on with none out. Roberts had no option but to remove Ohtani, who departed to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Dodgers' relief corps 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 the runner with a base hit to left. France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove Banda out of the game. Blake Treinen entered next but also failed to stem the rally: Bichette and Barger hit RBI singles through the diamond, completing a four-score barrage that extended the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Toronto's ability to absorb initial setbacks and answer has defined their entire run. They once again did it without Springer, the hurt leadoff man who left the third game after straining his right side.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what Toronto required. Traded for during the summer while completing rehab from elbow surgery, the ex- award-winning winner left several runners and quieted the Dodgers' dangerous lineup. He allowed one earned run on four base hits and three free passes before Schneider summoned rookie pitcher Mason Fluharty to face the heart of the order in the sixth. He needed just 4 throws to get out Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a narrow advantage that quickly grew safe.

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

Closing Innings

The Los Angeles managed a run in the ninth when Edman grounded out to bring home Hernández after a walk and Muncy's two-base hit put runners on base. But Louis Varland closed it down without permitting a rally to build.

Following a game when Toronto left a World Series-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after wave upon wave of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was brutally efficient. 6 separate Blue Jays recorded hits, five brought home runs and the squad cashed almost every scoring opportunity available in the final stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The victory guarantees the championship title will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not won a championship since Carter's iconic game-winning homer in '93. They now are aware they are guaranteed a packed crowd in Canada on Friday night – and perhaps the next day – no matter what happens next in LA.

The fifth game looms with the matchup even and energy swinging to Toronto. Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Blue Jays's surge. Toronto counter with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Blue Jays chased the starter early in an decisive victory.