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Only 24 hours following enduring one of the most exhausting defeats in World Series history, the Blue Jays displayed complete control.

Guerrero crushed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber provided a steady start as the Blue Jays defeated 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 series will head back to Toronto.

Toronto had spent the early hours of the next day dealing with their 18-inning third game defeat – equal to the lengthiest World Series game ever – a loss that cost them the opportunity to lead the matchup and burned through both bullpens. Manager Schneider insisted afterwards that “they took a game, not the championship”. A day later, his squad offered convincing proof.

Early Action

The Dodgers again scored first. Max Muncy walked in the second, moved up on a base hit and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the early breakthrough did not rattle a Toronto team that led MLB with 49 come-from-behind wins this season.

They answered right away in the third. Nathan Lukes hit a one-out base hit to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate hunting a breaking ball. Ohtani left a sweeper up and Guerrero sent it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his initial long hit of the series and his seventh home run this postseason – a fresh club record – restoring the Blue Jays's lead after 13 scoreless frames and shifting the tone of the night.

Shohei's Performance

That hit also halted Shohei Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 straight at-bats getting on base. The two-way phenomenon had hit two home runs and reached safely a record nine times in the Los Angeles' third game walk-off. But on that night, he took the mound on short rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the previous marathon.

Ohtani pitch speed was below his seasonal average and he struggled more as the game progressed. Even so, he displayed flashes of his typical control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero'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 hits and four runs were charged to him in six-plus innings.

Late Game Rally

The larger issue for Los Angeles was what followed when Ohtani finally lost energy.

Varsho opened the seventh with a sharp single to right field, and Clement smashed a double off the wall to put two on with no outs. Dave Roberts had little choice but to pull Ohtani, who departed to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not complete the escape.

Anthony Banda came into the jam and right away fell behind. Andrés Giménez fought to a full count before driving in the runner with a base hit to left. Ty France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock Banda out of the game. Blake Treinen came in next but also was unable to stem the momentum: Bo Bichette and Barger punched run-scoring base hits through the diamond, completing a four-score barrage that extended the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Blue Jays's ability to absorb early blows and respond has defined their entire postseason. They once again did it without Springer, the injured top-of-the-order hitter who left the third game after tweaking his oblique.

Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what the Blue Jays required. Traded for mid-season while finishing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the former Cy Young winner stranded multiple baserunners and quieted the Los Angeles' dangerous batting order. He allowed one earned run on four hits and three free passes before the manager called on rookie left-hander Mason Fluharty to face the core of the order in the sixth inning. Fluharty needed just 4 pitches to get out Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a narrow lead that quickly became safe.

Former starter Chris Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' offense continued to struggle. Los Angeles have produced only three runs over their previous 20 innings, an abrupt slowdown for a team that ranked among baseball's elite offenses all year.

Final Innings

The Dodgers managed a score in the ninth when Tommy Edman grounded out to bring home Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's double put two aboard. But Louis Varland closed it down without allowing a rally to build.

After a night when the Blue Jays left a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after repeated of wasted chances, Game 4 was brutally efficient. Six separate Toronto players collected hits, five brought home scores and the team converted almost every run-scoring chance available in the late innings.

Next Up

The win ensures the World Series trophy will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not won a championship since Carter's iconic walk-off home run in 1993. They now are aware they are guaranteed a packed crowd in Toronto on Friday evening – and possibly the next day – no matter what occurs next in LA.

Game 5 approaches with the series even and energy swinging north. Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Blue Jays's surge. The Blue Jays respond with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Toronto knocked out Snell early in an decisive victory.