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

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber provided a composed outing as Toronto beat the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, tying the World Series at two games each and guaranteeing the matchup will return to Canada.

Toronto had spent the early hours of the next day processing their 18-inning Game 3 loss – equal to the lengthiest World Series game ever – a loss that denied them the chance to lead the matchup and depleted both bullpens. Skipper John Schneider stated afterwards that “they took a contest, not the championship”. A day later, his squad offered emphatic proof.

Initial Action

The Dodgers again scored first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second, advanced on a base hit and scored on Hernández's fly out. But the early score did not rattle a Blue Jays club that led MLB with 49 come-from-behind wins this season.

They responded immediately in the third inning. Lukes lined a one away single to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate looking for a breaking ball. Ohtani threw a slider up and he drove it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his first extra-base hit of the series and his seventh homer this playoffs – a new club record – regaining the Toronto's advantage after 13 shutout frames and shifting the tone of the game.

Shohei's Performance

That hit also ended Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 straight plate appearances reaching base. The two-way star had hit two home runs and reached safely a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 walk-off. But on that night, he took the mound on limited rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the prior marathon.

Ohtani pitch speed sat below his seasonal average and he struggled more as the contest wore on. Even so, he displayed glimpses of his usual command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and striking out six. He even walked in the first to extend his World Series record. But the Toronto made him work: six hits and four earned runs were credited to him in over six frames.

Seventh Inning Surge

The bigger problem for the Dodgers was what came next when Ohtani eventually ran out of energy.

Daulton Varsho started the seventh with a clean hit to right, and Ernie Clement drilled a two-base hit off the wall to put two on with no outs. Roberts had little choice but to pull Ohtani, who exited to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Dodgers' relief corps could not finish the escape.

Banda came into the jam and immediately trailed in the count. Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before driving in the runner with a single to left field. Ty France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock the pitcher out of the game. Blake Treinen came in next but also was unable to stem the rally: Bo Bichette and Barger hit RBI singles through the diamond, capping a four-score barrage that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Blue Jays's capacity to absorb early blows and respond has defined their whole postseason. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order hitter who exited the third game after straining his right side.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was everything Toronto required. Traded for during the summer while completing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the former Cy Young winner left multiple runners 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 Fluharty to confront the heart of the lineup in the sixth inning. Fluharty required just four throws to retire Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a narrow lead that quickly became safe.

Converted starter Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' offense kept to struggle. The Dodgers have scored only three scores over their previous 20 innings, an abrupt slowdown for a club that was among baseball's elite lineups all year.

Closing Moments

The Dodgers scraped a score in the ninth when Edman grounded out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Muncy's double put runners aboard. But Varland finished the game without allowing a comeback to build.

Following a night when the Blue Jays stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and collapsed after wave upon wave of missed opportunities, the fourth contest was ruthlessly effective. Six separate Blue Jays recorded hits, five brought home scores and the team cashed almost every run-scoring opportunity presented in the late innings.

Next Up

The win ensures the World Series trophy will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not won a championship since Joe Carter's iconic game-winning homer in '93. They now are aware they are guaranteed a full crowd in Toronto on Friday evening – and possibly the next day – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game approaches with the matchup reset and energy shifting to Toronto. Los Angeles left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Blue Jays's momentum. Toronto respond with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Toronto chased Snell early in an decisive victory.