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Only 24 hours following enduring one of the most draining losses in World Series annals, the Blue Jays played with complete command.

Guerrero crushed a two-run homer and Bieber provided a steady outing as Toronto defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, squaring the Fall Classic at two games each and ensuring the matchup will head back to Toronto.

Toronto had passed the early hours of Tuesday dealing with their marathon Game 3 loss – equal to the lengthiest Fall Classic contest ever – a defeat that denied them the chance to take the lead in the matchup and depleted both bullpens. Manager Schneider stated later that “they took a contest, not the World Series”. A day later, his squad offered emphatic evidence.

Early Action

The Dodgers again struck first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, advanced on a single and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early score did not rattle a Toronto club that topped MLB with 49 come-from-behind victories this season.

They responded right away in the third inning. Nathan Lukes lined a one-out base hit to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate looking for a curveball. Ohtani left a slider up and Guerrero sent it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his first extra-base hit of the series and his seventh home run this postseason – a new team record – regaining the Toronto's advantage after 13 shutout frames and changing the tone of the night.

Ohtani's Night

That swing also halted Ohtani's history-making run of 11 consecutive at-bats getting on base. The two-way star had hit two homers and reached safely a historic nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 comeback win. But on that night, he took the mound on limited rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the previous marathon.

His pitch speed was below his regular-season norm 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 striking out six. He even walked in the first inning to extend his World Series streak. But the Toronto made him work: six base hits and four runs were credited to him in six-plus frames.

Seventh Inning Rally

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

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh with a clean single to right, and Ernie Clement smashed a two-base hit off the fence to put two on with no outs. Roberts had no option but to pull the starter, who exited to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Dodgers' bullpen could not complete the escape.

Banda came into the mess and immediately trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before scoring the runner with a single to left. Ty France came up next 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 momentum: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger hit RBI base hits through the infield, capping a four-run barrage that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Toronto's ability to absorb initial setbacks and respond has defined their entire postseason. They once again did it without Springer, the injured top-of-the-order man who left the third game after straining his right side.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was everything the Blue Jays needed. Acquired during the summer while finishing recovery from elbow surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner left multiple baserunners and silenced the Dodgers' dangerous lineup. He allowed one run on four base hits and three free passes before the manager summoned rookie left-hander Mason Fluharty to face the core of the lineup in the sixth. Fluharty required just four throws to retire Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a fragile lead that quickly grew safe.

Converted starting pitcher Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' bats kept to struggle. The Dodgers have produced only three runs over their previous 20 frames, an sudden downturn for a club that ranked among baseball's top offenses all year.

Closing Innings

The Dodgers scraped a score in the ninth when Tommy Edman grounded out to score Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's double put runners aboard. But Varland closed it down without allowing a comeback to develop.

After a game when Toronto stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and collapsed after wave upon wave of missed opportunities, the fourth contest was ruthlessly efficient. Six separate Blue Jays recorded base hits, five brought home scores and the team cashed nearly every run-scoring opportunity available in the late innings.

Looking Ahead

The victory guarantees the championship title will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not celebrated a championship since Carter's iconic game-winning homer in '93. They now are aware they are assured a full house in Toronto on Friday evening – and possibly Saturday – no matter what happens next in LA.

The fifth game looms with the series even and momentum shifting north. Los Angeles pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Toronto's surge. Toronto counter with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Toronto knocked out the starter early in an decisive victory.