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Less than a day following staggering through one of the most draining losses in Fall Classic history, the Toronto Blue Jays played with total command.

Guerrero crushed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber delivered a composed start as Toronto defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, tying the World Series at two games each and guaranteeing the series will head back to Canada.

The Blue Jays had spent the early hours of Tuesday processing their marathon third game defeat – equal to the lengthiest Fall Classic game ever – a loss that denied them the chance to lead the series and burned through both relief corps. Manager Schneider insisted later that “the Dodgers took a contest, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his team provided emphatic proof.

Initial Innings

The Dodgers again scored first. Muncy drew a walk in the second, moved up on a base hit and crossed the plate on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial score did not rattle a Toronto club that led MLB with 49 comeback wins this year.

They answered immediately in the third inning. Lukes lined a one away base hit to centre and Guerrero stepped in hunting a curveball. Ohtani left a slider up and Guerrero sent it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his first extra-base hit of the series and his seventh home run this playoffs – a new team mark – restoring the Toronto's lead after 13 scoreless frames and changing the tone of the game.

Ohtani's Performance

That hit also halted Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 consecutive at-bats getting on base. The dual-threat star had hit two home runs and got on base a historic nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 walk-off. But on that night, he took the mound on limited rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the prior marathon.

His fastball velocity was below his regular-season norm and he struggled more as the game wore on. Even so, he showed glimpses of his usual command, 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 record. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six hits and four earned runs were credited to him in six-plus frames.

Late Game Surge

The bigger problem for Los Angeles was what came next when Ohtani eventually lost energy.

Daulton Varsho started the seventh inning with a sharp hit to right, and Ernie Clement smashed a double off the wall to put two on with none out. Dave Roberts had little choice but to pull Ohtani, who departed to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not finish the escape.

Anthony Banda inherited the jam and right away trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before scoring the runner with a base hit to left. France followed with a fielder's choice 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: Bichette and Barger punched run-scoring base hits through the diamond, completing a four-score barrage that extended the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Toronto's ability to absorb initial setbacks and respond has characterized their entire run. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the hurt leadoff man who left the third game after tweaking his right side.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what Toronto needed. Acquired during the summer while finishing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the former award-winning winner left several runners and silenced the Dodgers' potent lineup. He allowed one run on four hits and three walks before the manager called on rookie left-hander Fluharty to confront the heart of the order in the sixth. Fluharty required just 4 pitches to get out Muncy and Edman, preserving a narrow advantage that soon became safe.

Converted starting pitcher Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' offense kept to struggle. The Dodgers have scored only three runs over their last 20 frames, an sudden downturn for a club that was among baseball's elite lineups all year.

Closing Moments

The Los Angeles managed a score in the ninth inning when Edman grounded out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's two-base hit put two aboard. But Varland closed it down without permitting a rally to develop.

After a game when Toronto stranded a World Series-record 19 runners and collapsed after repeated of wasted chances, the fourth contest was ruthlessly effective. 6 separate Blue Jays recorded hits, 5 brought home scores and the team cashed almost every scoring opportunity available in the late stanzas.

Next Up

The victory guarantees the championship trophy will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not won a title since Joe Carter's iconic game-winning homer in '93. They now know they are guaranteed a full crowd in Toronto on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 looms with the series reset and momentum shifting to Toronto. Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Blue Jays's momentum. Toronto respond with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Toronto knocked out the starter early in an 11-4 victory.