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Only 24 hours after staggering through one of the most exhausting defeats in World Series annals, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed complete control.

Guerrero crushed a two-run homer and Bieber delivered a composed start as the Blue Jays beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, tying the Fall Classic at two games each and guaranteeing the series will return to Canada.

Toronto had passed the early hours of Tuesday dealing with their marathon third game defeat – equal to the lengthiest World Series contest ever – a loss that cost them the chance to lead the series and burned through both bullpens. Manager John Schneider stated later that “the Dodgers took a game, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad provided emphatic evidence.

Early Innings

The Los Angeles again struck first. Muncy drew a walk in the second, advanced on a base hit and scored on Hernández's fly out. But the initial score did not shake a Toronto team that led Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind victories this season.

They responded immediately in the third. Nathan Lukes hit a one-out single to centre and Guerrero stepped in hunting a breaking ball. Ohtani left a slider up and Guerrero sent it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his initial extra-base hit of the series and his seventh homer this playoffs – a fresh team record – restoring the Blue Jays's lead after 13 scoreless frames and changing the momentum of the night.

Shohei's Night

That swing also halted Shohei Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 straight at-bats reaching base. The dual-threat star had smashed two home runs and got on base a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' third game walk-off. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on short rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the previous marathon.

Ohtani fastball velocity sat under his regular-season average and he labored more as the game wore on. Nonetheless, he showed flashes of his usual command, retiring 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 forced him to labor: six hits and four runs were credited to him in six-plus innings.

Late Game Surge

The larger issue for the Dodgers was what followed when Ohtani finally ran out of energy.

Varsho opened the seventh inning with a clean single to right field, and Clement smashed a double off the wall to put runners on with none out. Roberts had no option but to remove the starter, who departed to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Dodgers' relief corps could not complete the inning.

Banda came into the jam and right away 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 the pitcher out of the contest. Blake Treinen came in next but also failed to stem the momentum: Bichette and Barger punched RBI singles through the diamond, completing a four-run barrage that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Blue Jays's capacity to withstand initial blows and answer has defined their entire run. They once again succeeded without Springer, the injured top-of-the-order man who left Game 3 after straining his oblique.

Bieber, meanwhile, was everything Toronto required. Traded for mid-season while finishing rehab from elbow surgery, the ex- award-winning winner left multiple runners and silenced the Los Angeles' potent batting order. He gave up one earned run on four hits and three free passes before the manager summoned rookie pitcher Fluharty to confront the heart of the lineup in the sixth inning. Fluharty required just four throws to retire Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a narrow lead that quickly became comfortable.

Converted starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' offense continued to sputter. Los Angeles have scored only three runs over their previous 20 innings, an sudden downturn for a team that ranked among baseball's top lineups all year.

Final Moments

The Dodgers managed a score in the ninth inning when Edman hit into an out to score Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's double put two aboard. But Varland closed it down without allowing a rally to develop.

Following a game when Toronto stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after wave upon wave of missed opportunities, Game 4 was brutally effective. Six different Toronto players recorded hits, 5 brought home scores and the squad cashed nearly every scoring opportunity available in the late stanzas.

Next Up

The win ensures the championship title 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 know they are assured a packed crowd in Canada on Friday evening – and perhaps the next day – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 looms with the matchup even and energy swinging north. Los Angeles pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Toronto's surge. The Blue Jays counter with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Toronto chased the starter quickly in an 11-4 win.