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Only 24 hours after enduring one of the most exhausting losses in World Series annals, the Toronto Blue Jays played with complete command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run homer and Bieber provided a composed start as Toronto defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, tying the World Series at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the series will return to Toronto.

Toronto had spent the early hours of the next day dealing with their 18-inning third game defeat – equal to the longest Fall Classic contest ever – a defeat that cost them the chance to lead the series and burned through both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider insisted afterwards that “the Dodgers took a contest, not the championship”. A day later, his squad offered convincing proof.

Early Action

The Los Angeles again struck first. Muncy drew a walk in the second, moved up on a base hit and crossed the plate on Hernández's fly out. But the early score did not shake a Blue Jays team that led MLB with 49 come-from-behind victories this season.

They responded immediately in the third inning. Nathan Lukes lined a one away single to center field and Guerrero came to the plate hunting a curveball. Ohtani threw a slider up and he drove it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his initial long hit of the series and his 7th homer this playoffs – a fresh club record – regaining the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 shutout innings and changing the tone of the game.

Shohei's Night

That swing also ended Shohei Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 straight at-bats getting on base. The dual-threat phenomenon had hit two homers and got on base a record nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 walk-off. But on that night, he started on limited rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the prior extra-inning game.

His fastball velocity was under his regular-season norm and he struggled more as the game wore on. Nonetheless, he displayed flashes of his typical command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and fanning six. He even walked in the first inning to continue his World Series streak. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six base hits and four runs were credited to him in six-plus innings.

Seventh Inning Rally

The bigger issue for Los Angeles was what followed when he eventually lost steam.

Varsho started the seventh with a clean single to right, and Clement drilled 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 local fans. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not finish the escape.

Anthony Banda came into the mess and right away trailed in the count. Giménez fought to a full count before scoring the runner with a base hit to left field. Ty 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 came in next but also failed to stem the momentum: Bichette and Barger hit RBI singles through the infield, capping a four-score outburst that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Blue Jays's ability to withstand early setbacks and respond has characterized their whole run. They once again did it without Springer, the hurt leadoff man who left the third game after straining his oblique.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what the Blue Jays needed. Acquired mid-season while finishing recovery from elbow surgery, the former award-winning winner left several baserunners and silenced the Los Angeles' potent batting order. He allowed one earned run on four base hits and three free passes before the manager summoned first-year left-hander Mason Fluharty to face the core of the lineup in the sixth inning. He required just four pitches to get out Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a fragile advantage that soon became comfortable.

Converted starter Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' offense kept to sputter. Los Angeles have scored only three scores over their previous 20 innings, an abrupt downturn for a team that was among baseball's top offenses all season.

Closing Moments

The Dodgers managed a run in the ninth when Tommy Edman grounded out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's two-base hit put two aboard. But Louis Varland finished the game without allowing a comeback to build.

Following a night when Toronto left a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after repeated of wasted opportunities, Game 4 was brutally efficient. 6 different Blue Jays recorded base hits, five brought home scores and the squad converted nearly every run-scoring opportunity presented in the late innings.

Looking Ahead

The win guarantees the World Series title will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not won a title since Carter's famous walk-off home run in 1993. They now know they are assured a full crowd in Canada on Friday evening – and possibly the next day – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game approaches with the series even and momentum shifting to Toronto. Los Angeles pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Toronto's momentum. Toronto counter with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Blue Jays knocked out the starter early in an 11-4 win.