Vladimir Guerrero Jr Blasts off Shohei Ohtani as Toronto See Off Los Angeles to Tie World Series at 2-2

Less than a day after staggering through one of the most exhausting losses in World Series history, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed total control.

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

Toronto had passed the early hours of the next day processing their 18-inning third game defeat – equal to the lengthiest World Series contest ever – a loss that cost them the opportunity to take the lead in the series and depleted both bullpens. Skipper John Schneider insisted later that “the Dodgers took a contest, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad offered convincing proof.

Early Action

The Dodgers again scored first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second, advanced on a base hit and scored on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early breakthrough did not shake a Blue Jays team that led MLB with 49 come-from-behind wins this year.

They responded right away in the third inning. Nathan Lukes lined a one away base hit to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in looking for a curveball. Shohei Ohtani threw a sweeper up and Guerrero sent it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his first extra-base hit of the World Series and his seventh homer this postseason – a fresh club mark – restoring the Blue Jays's lead after 13 shutout frames and shifting the tone of the game.

Ohtani's Night

That swing also ended Shohei Ohtani's history-making run of 11 straight plate appearances getting on base. The dual-threat star had smashed two homers and reached safely a record nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 walk-off. But on that night, he started on short rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the previous extra-inning game.

His fastball velocity sat below his seasonal norm and he struggled more as the game wore on. Even so, he showed glimpses of his typical control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first to extend his Fall Classic streak. But the Toronto made him work: six base hits and four runs were credited to him in six-plus frames.

Seventh Inning Surge

The bigger problem for the Dodgers was what followed when he finally lost energy.

Varsho started the seventh with a sharp single to right field, and Ernie Clement smashed a two-base hit off the fence to put runners on with no outs. Roberts had no option but to pull Ohtani, who departed to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Dodgers' bullpen could not complete the escape.

Anthony Banda inherited the jam and right away fell behind. Andrés Giménez fought to a full count before scoring Varsho with a base hit to left field. France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove the pitcher out of the game. Treinen entered next but also was unable to stem the momentum: Bichette and Barger punched run-scoring singles through the diamond, completing a four-run barrage that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Toronto's ability to withstand early setbacks and respond has defined their whole postseason. They once again did it without Springer, the injured top-of-the-order man who exited the third game after straining his oblique.

Bieber, meanwhile, was everything the Blue Jays needed. Traded for during the summer while completing recovery from elbow surgery, the former Cy Young winner stranded multiple runners and quieted the Dodgers' potent lineup. He gave up one run on four hits and three walks before Schneider summoned rookie pitcher Mason Fluharty to confront the heart of the lineup in the sixth inning. He required just four throws to get out Muncy and Edman, preserving a narrow lead that quickly became comfortable.

Converted starting pitcher Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' bats kept to struggle. The Dodgers have scored only three runs over their previous 20 innings, an abrupt downturn for a club that was among MLB's top offenses all year.

Closing Innings

The Los Angeles scraped a score in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman hit into an out to bring home Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's double put two aboard. But Louis Varland closed it down without permitting a rally to develop.

Following a game when the Blue Jays left a World Series-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after repeated of missed chances, the fourth contest was brutally efficient. Six different Toronto players recorded base hits, five drove in runs and the team converted almost every run-scoring opportunity available in the late innings.

Looking Ahead

The victory ensures the World Series trophy will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not won a championship since Joe Carter's iconic game-winning home run in '93. They now are aware they are guaranteed a full house in Canada on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what occurs next in LA.

The fifth game looms with the series reset and energy shifting north. Los Angeles pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Blue Jays's surge. The Blue Jays counter with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Toronto knocked out Snell quickly in an 11-4 win.