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Only 24 hours after staggering through one of the most exhausting defeats in Fall Classic annals, the Toronto Blue Jays played with total control.

Guerrero crushed a two-run homer and Bieber provided a steady outing as the Blue Jays beat the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, squaring the Fall Classic at two games each and guaranteeing the matchup will return to Toronto.

Toronto had spent the morning of the next day processing their 18-inning third game defeat – equal to the lengthiest Fall Classic game ever – a loss that cost them the opportunity to take the lead in the matchup and depleted both relief corps. Manager John Schneider stated later that “they won a contest, not the championship”. A day later, his team offered convincing proof.

Initial Action

The Dodgers again struck first. Muncy walked in the second, advanced on a single and crossed the plate on Hernández's fly out. But the initial score did not rattle a Blue Jays club that topped Major League Baseball with 49 comeback victories this year.

They answered immediately in the third inning. Nathan Lukes lined a one-out base hit to center field and Guerrero came to the plate hunting a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani threw a sweeper up and Guerrero sent it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his initial extra-base hit of the series and his 7th homer this playoffs – a new club mark – restoring the Toronto's advantage after 13 scoreless frames and shifting the tone of the night.

Shohei's Performance

That hit also halted Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 straight plate appearances reaching base. The two-way phenomenon had hit two homers and reached safely a historic nine times in the Dodgers' third game walk-off. But on that night, he took the mound on limited rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the previous extra-inning game.

His fastball velocity was below his seasonal average and he labored more as the game wore on. Even so, he displayed flashes of his usual control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first to continue his World Series streak. But the Blue Jays made him work: six base hits and four runs were charged to him in over six innings.

Seventh Inning Surge

The bigger issue for the Dodgers was what followed when he eventually lost energy.

Varsho started the seventh inning with a clean single to right, and Ernie Clement smashed a two-base hit off the fence to put runners on with no outs. Roberts had no option but to remove Ohtani, who exited to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not finish the inning.

Banda came into the jam and immediately fell behind. Giménez fought to a full count before driving in Varsho with a base hit to left field. France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock Banda out of the contest. Blake Treinen entered next but also was unable to stop the momentum: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger hit RBI base hits through the diamond, completing a four-run outburst that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Toronto's capacity to absorb early setbacks and answer has characterized their entire postseason. They once again did it without George Springer, the hurt leadoff hitter who exited the third game after tweaking his oblique.

Bieber, meanwhile, was everything the Blue Jays needed. Acquired during the summer while completing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the ex- award-winning winner left multiple baserunners and silenced the Los Angeles' potent batting order. He allowed one run on four base hits and three free passes before the manager called on rookie pitcher Fluharty to face the heart of the order in the sixth. Fluharty needed just 4 throws to get out Max Muncy and Edman, protecting a narrow lead that soon became comfortable.

Former starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' bats continued to sputter. The Dodgers have produced only 3 runs over their previous 20 innings, an sudden slowdown for a team that ranked among MLB's top lineups all year.

Closing Moments

The Dodgers scraped a run in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman grounded out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's double put two aboard. But Varland closed it down without allowing a rally to develop.

After a game when Toronto left a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after wave upon wave of missed opportunities, Game 4 was brutally effective. Six separate Toronto players recorded base hits, five brought home runs and the team cashed nearly every scoring opportunity presented in the late innings.

Next Up

The victory ensures the championship trophy 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 know they are guaranteed a packed crowd in Canada on Friday night – and possibly the next day – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 approaches with the matchup even and momentum swinging north. Los Angeles left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Toronto's momentum. The Blue Jays respond with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Blue Jays chased the starter early in an 11-4 win.