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Less than a day following enduring one of the most draining losses in World Series annals, the Blue Jays played with total control.

Guerrero crushed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber provided a steady start as Toronto defeated the 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.

The Blue Jays had passed the morning of Tuesday processing their marathon Game 3 loss – equal to the lengthiest World Series contest ever – a defeat that denied them the opportunity to take the lead in the matchup and burned through both bullpens. Skipper Schneider insisted later that “the Dodgers won a contest, not the championship”. A day later, his team offered convincing proof.

Initial Innings

The Dodgers again struck first. Muncy drew a walk 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 team that topped Major League Baseball with 49 comeback victories this year.

They answered immediately in the third. Nathan Lukes lined a one-out single to center field and Guerrero came to the plate looking for a curveball. Ohtani left a slider up and he sent it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his first extra-base hit of the World Series and his 7th home run this postseason – a fresh club record – restoring the Blue Jays's lead after 13 scoreless frames and shifting the momentum of the game.

Ohtani's Performance

That swing also halted Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 consecutive at-bats reaching base. The dual-threat phenomenon had smashed two homers and got on base a record nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 walk-off. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on limited rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the previous extra-inning game.

His fastball velocity was under his seasonal average and he struggled more as the contest progressed. Even so, he displayed flashes of his usual control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and fanning six. He even walked in the first inning to extend his Fall Classic streak. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six hits and four earned runs were charged to him in over six innings.

Late Game Surge

The bigger problem for Los Angeles was what came next when Ohtani finally ran out of energy.

Varsho started the seventh with a sharp hit to right field, and Ernie Clement smashed a double off the fence to put runners on with no outs. Roberts had little choice but to remove Ohtani, who departed to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Dodgers' relief corps could not complete the inning.

Banda inherited the jam and right away trailed in the count. Giménez fought to a full count before scoring the runner with a single to left. France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove the pitcher out of the contest. Treinen came in next but also was unable to stem the momentum: Bo Bichette and Barger hit run-scoring singles through the infield, capping a four-run outburst that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Toronto's capacity to absorb initial blows and answer has characterized their entire postseason. They once again did it without Springer, the hurt leadoff hitter who left the third game after straining his right side.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was everything the Blue Jays required. Traded for mid-season while completing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner stranded several runners and silenced the Dodgers' potent batting order. He gave up one run on four base hits and three free passes before Schneider called on first-year pitcher Fluharty to confront the heart of the order in the sixth. He required just 4 pitches to get out Muncy and Edman, protecting a narrow advantage that quickly grew comfortable.

Converted starting pitcher Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' offense continued to struggle. The Dodgers have produced only three scores over their previous 20 innings, an abrupt slowdown for a team that ranked among baseball's elite offenses all year.

Final Innings

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

After a night when the Blue Jays stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and fell apart after wave upon wave of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was brutally efficient. Six different Blue Jays recorded hits, 5 brought home runs and the squad converted nearly every run-scoring opportunity presented in the late innings.

Next Up

The win ensures the World Series trophy will be presented at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not celebrated a title since Joe Carter's iconic walk-off home run in '93. They now are aware they are guaranteed a packed house in Toronto on Friday night – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 approaches with the matchup even and momentum swinging north. Dodgers pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Toronto's surge. Toronto counter with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Toronto knocked out the starter quickly in an 11-4 win.