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Less than a day following staggering through one of the most exhausting losses in Fall Classic history, the Blue Jays displayed total command.

Guerrero crushed a two-run home run and Bieber provided a steady outing as Toronto defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, tying the World Series at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Canada.

The Blue Jays had passed the early hours of the next day dealing with their marathon Game 3 loss – equal to the longest World Series contest ever – a loss that cost them the opportunity to take the lead in the series and burned through both relief corps. Skipper Schneider insisted later that “the Dodgers won a game, not the World Series”. A day later, his team offered convincing evidence.

Initial Action

The Dodgers again struck first. Muncy walked in the second, moved up on a single and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the initial score did not shake a Toronto club that topped MLB with 49 come-from-behind wins this season.

They answered immediately in the third. Nathan Lukes hit a one away base hit to centre and Guerrero came to the plate hunting a curveball. Shohei Ohtani left a sweeper up and he sent it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his first extra-base hit of the World Series and his 7th home run this postseason – a fresh team mark – restoring the Blue Jays's lead after 13 shutout frames and changing the tone of the game.

Ohtani's Performance

That hit also halted Shohei Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 straight plate appearances getting on base. The dual-threat phenomenon had smashed two home runs and reached safely a record nine times in the Los Angeles' third game walk-off. But on Tuesday, he started on limited rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the previous extra-inning game.

Ohtani pitch speed sat under his regular-season norm and he labored more as the contest wore on. Even so, he showed flashes of his usual control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and striking out six. He even walked in the first to continue his World Series record. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six base hits and four earned runs were charged to him in over six innings.

Seventh Inning Rally

The larger problem for the Dodgers was what followed when Ohtani finally lost energy.

Daulton Varsho started the seventh with a clean hit to right field, and Ernie Clement drilled a double off the fence to put runners on with none out. Roberts had little choice but to remove Ohtani, who departed to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Dodgers' bullpen could not complete the escape.

Banda came into the jam and right away trailed in the count. Giménez fought to a full count before scoring the runner with a single to left. France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock the pitcher out of the game. Blake Treinen entered next but also failed to stop the momentum: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger hit RBI base hits through the infield, completing a four-score outburst that extended the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Blue Jays's ability to absorb initial setbacks and answer has defined their entire run. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the injured leadoff man who exited the third game after tweaking his right side.

Bieber, in contrast, was everything the Blue Jays needed. Acquired mid-season while completing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the former Cy Young winner stranded several baserunners and quieted the Dodgers' potent batting order. He allowed one earned run on four hits and three free passes before the manager summoned first-year pitcher Fluharty to face the heart of the lineup in the sixth. He required just 4 pitches to retire Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a narrow lead that soon grew safe.

Former starter Chris Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' offense kept to sputter. Los Angeles have scored only three runs over their previous 20 innings, an sudden slowdown for a team that was among MLB's elite lineups all season.

Final Moments

The Dodgers scraped a run in the ninth when Tommy Edman grounded out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Muncy's two-base hit put runners aboard. But Louis Varland closed it down without allowing a rally to build.

After a night when Toronto left a World Series-record 19 runners and fell apart after repeated of wasted chances, the fourth contest was brutally effective. 6 different Toronto players recorded base hits, five brought home scores and the squad converted nearly every scoring chance presented in the late stanzas.

Next Up

The victory guarantees the championship title will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not won a title 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 night – and possibly the next day – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 approaches with the series even and energy shifting north. Los Angeles left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Toronto's surge. Toronto counter with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Blue Jays chased the starter quickly in an 11-4 win.