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Less than a day following enduring one of the most exhausting losses in Fall Classic annals, the Blue Jays displayed complete command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run home run and Bieber provided a composed start as Toronto defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, tying the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the series will head back to Canada.

Toronto had passed the morning of the next day dealing with their 18-inning third game defeat – tied for the lengthiest Fall Classic game ever – a defeat that cost them the opportunity to take the lead in the series and burned through both relief corps. Manager John Schneider insisted later that “they took a game, not the championship”. A day later, his squad offered emphatic proof.

Early Innings

The Los Angeles again struck first. Muncy walked in the second, advanced on a single and scored on Hernández's fly out. But the initial score did not rattle a Blue Jays team that led MLB with 49 comeback wins this season.

They answered immediately in the third. Lukes lined a one-out base hit to center field and Guerrero stepped in looking for a breaking ball. Ohtani left a slider up and Guerrero drove it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his initial long hit of the series and his seventh homer this postseason – a fresh team mark – regaining the Toronto's lead after 13 scoreless frames and shifting the tone of the night.

Ohtani's Performance

That hit also ended Shohei Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 straight plate appearances reaching base. The two-way star had hit two homers and got on base a historic nine times in the Dodgers' third game walk-off. But on that night, he started on short rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the previous extra-inning game.

His fastball velocity sat below his seasonal average and he labored more as the contest progressed. Nonetheless, he showed glimpses of his usual control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to continue his Fall Classic record. But the Blue Jays made him work: six base hits and four runs were charged to him in over six innings.

Late Game Surge

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

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

Banda came into the mess and right away trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before driving in the runner with a single to left. Ty France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock the pitcher out of the contest. Treinen came in next but also was unable to stop the rally: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger hit run-scoring singles through the infield, completing a four-score outburst that extended the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Blue Jays's capacity to absorb initial setbacks and answer has characterized their whole run. They once again did it without George Springer, the injured top-of-the-order hitter who exited Game 3 after straining his right side.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what the Blue Jays needed. Acquired during the summer while completing rehab from elbow surgery, the former award-winning winner left several runners and quieted the Dodgers' potent lineup. He allowed one earned run on four hits and three walks before Schneider summoned rookie left-hander Fluharty to face the core of the order in the sixth. Fluharty needed just 4 pitches to retire Muncy and Edman, preserving a narrow lead that soon grew comfortable.

Former starter Chris Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' bats continued to struggle. The Dodgers have scored only three scores over their last 20 innings, an abrupt downturn for a team that was among baseball's elite lineups all year.

Final Moments

The Los Angeles scraped a score in the ninth inning when Edman grounded out to bring home Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's double put runners on base. But Louis Varland closed it down without allowing a rally to develop.

After a game when Toronto left a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and collapsed after wave upon wave of missed chances, Game 4 was brutally effective. Six separate Toronto players recorded base hits, 5 drove in scores and the team cashed nearly every scoring chance presented in the final stanzas.

Next Up

The victory ensures the championship title will be presented at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a championship since Carter's famous walk-off home run in '93. They now are aware they are guaranteed a packed house in Canada on Friday evening – and possibly Saturday – no matter what happens next in LA.

Game 5 approaches with the series even and energy shifting to Toronto. Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Blue Jays's surge. The Blue Jays respond with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Blue Jays knocked out the starter quickly in an decisive victory.