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Only 24 hours after staggering through one of the most exhausting defeats in Fall Classic history, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed total control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber delivered a composed outing as Toronto defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, squaring the Fall Classic at two games each and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Canada.

Toronto had passed the morning of Tuesday processing their 18-inning third game defeat – tied for the longest Fall Classic game ever – a defeat that cost them the opportunity to take the lead in the matchup and burned through both relief corps. Skipper Schneider stated later that “the Dodgers won a contest, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad offered emphatic proof.

Early Innings

The Dodgers again struck first. Muncy drew a walk in the second, advanced on a base hit and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial breakthrough did not rattle a Toronto team that topped Major League Baseball with 49 comeback wins this year.

They answered right away in the third inning. Lukes lined a one away single to centre and Guerrero stepped in looking for a curveball. Ohtani threw a slider up and he drove it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his initial long hit of the World Series and his seventh homer this playoffs – a fresh team mark – restoring the Toronto's advantage after 13 shutout frames and shifting the momentum of the night.

Ohtani's Night

That hit also halted Shohei Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 straight at-bats getting on base. The dual-threat star had hit two homers and reached safely a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' third game comeback win. But on that night, he took the mound on limited rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the previous marathon.

His fastball velocity was below his regular-season average and he labored more as the game progressed. Nonetheless, he showed glimpses of his usual control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to extend his Fall Classic record. But the Blue Jays made him work: six hits and four earned runs were charged to him in six-plus innings.

Seventh Inning Surge

The larger problem for Los Angeles was what came next when Ohtani eventually ran out of energy.

Daulton Varsho started the seventh inning with a clean hit to right, and Ernie Clement smashed a double off the fence to put two on with none out. Roberts had no option but to pull Ohtani, who departed to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Dodgers' bullpen could not complete the inning.

Banda inherited the mess and immediately trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before scoring Varsho with a single to left. Ty France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock Banda out of the contest. Treinen entered next but also failed to stop the rally: Bichette and Barger punched run-scoring singles through the infield, completing a four-score barrage that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Blue Jays's ability to withstand early blows and respond has defined their entire run. They once again did it without George Springer, the injured top-of-the-order hitter who exited the third game after straining his oblique.

Bieber, meanwhile, was everything Toronto required. Traded for during the summer while completing rehab from elbow surgery, the ex- award-winning winner left several baserunners and quieted the Los Angeles' dangerous batting order. He allowed one run on four base hits and three walks before the manager summoned first-year pitcher Mason Fluharty to confront the core of the lineup in the sixth inning. He needed just 4 throws to get out Max Muncy and Edman, protecting a fragile lead that quickly grew safe.

Former starter Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' offense kept to sputter. Los Angeles have produced only 3 scores over their last 20 frames, an sudden slowdown for a team that was among baseball's top offenses all season.

Final Moments

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

After a game when the Blue Jays stranded a World Series-record 19 runners and fell apart after wave upon wave of wasted chances, Game 4 was ruthlessly efficient. Six different Blue Jays collected hits, 5 drove in runs and the team converted almost every scoring chance available in the final stanzas.

Next Up

The victory guarantees the championship trophy will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not won a title since Carter's famous walk-off homer in 1993. They now know they are guaranteed a packed crowd in Toronto on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what occurs next in LA.

Game 5 looms with the matchup reset and momentum swinging north. Los Angeles left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Blue Jays's momentum. Toronto counter with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Toronto chased the starter early in an decisive win.