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Less than a day following staggering through one of the most draining defeats in Fall Classic annals, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed total command.

Guerrero smashed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber delivered a composed start as the Blue Jays beat the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, tying the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and ensuring the series will head back to Canada.

Toronto had spent the early hours of Tuesday processing their marathon Game 3 loss – equal to the longest Fall Classic contest ever – a defeat that cost them the chance to take the lead in the matchup and depleted both relief corps. Skipper Schneider insisted later that “the Dodgers took a game, not the championship”. A day later, his team provided convincing evidence.

Early Action

The Los Angeles again scored first. Muncy walked in the second, advanced on a single and scored on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the early breakthrough did not rattle a Blue Jays team that led MLB with 49 comeback victories this year.

They answered immediately in the third inning. Nathan Lukes hit a one-out single to centre and Guerrero stepped in looking for a curveball. Ohtani left a sweeper up and he drove it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his first extra-base hit of the series and his seventh home run this playoffs – a fresh team record – regaining the Toronto's advantage after 13 scoreless innings and changing the momentum of the game.

Shohei's Night

That hit also halted Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 consecutive plate appearances getting on 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 that night, he started on limited rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the previous extra-inning game.

Ohtani pitch speed sat under his seasonal norm and he labored more as the contest progressed. Even so, he displayed flashes of his usual command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to extend his Fall Classic record. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six hits and four runs were charged to him in six-plus innings.

Seventh Inning Rally

The bigger problem for Los Angeles was what followed when he finally ran out of energy.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh with a sharp single to right field, and Clement drilled a double off the wall to put two on with none out. Roberts had little choice but to pull Ohtani, who exited to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not complete the escape.

Banda inherited the jam and right away fell behind. Andrés Giménez fought to a full count before driving in the runner with a single to left field. Ty France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove the pitcher out of the game. Treinen entered next but also failed to stop the momentum: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger punched RBI base hits through the diamond, completing a four-score outburst that extended the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Blue Jays's capacity to withstand early setbacks and answer has defined their entire postseason. They once again did it without Springer, the hurt leadoff hitter who exited the third game after straining his right side.

Bieber, meanwhile, was everything the Blue Jays needed. Acquired during the summer while completing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner left several baserunners and silenced the Los Angeles' potent lineup. He gave up one run on four hits and three walks before Schneider summoned rookie left-hander Mason Fluharty to confront the core of the lineup in the sixth inning. He needed just 4 pitches to retire Muncy and Edman, preserving a fragile lead that soon became comfortable.

Former starting pitcher Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' offense kept to struggle. Los Angeles have scored only 3 scores over their last 20 innings, an abrupt downturn for a team that was among MLB's elite lineups all year.

Final Innings

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

Following a game when the Blue Jays left a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after repeated of missed chances, the fourth contest was brutally effective. 6 different Toronto players collected hits, 5 brought home runs and the team converted almost every run-scoring opportunity presented in the final innings.

Looking Ahead

The win guarantees the World Series trophy will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not celebrated a title since Joe Carter's famous walk-off home run in '93. They now know they are guaranteed a packed house in Toronto on Friday evening – and possibly the next day – no matter what happens next in LA.

Game 5 looms with the series even and momentum swinging north. Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Blue Jays's momentum. Toronto respond with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Blue Jays chased the starter early in an decisive win.