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

Guerrero smashed a two-run home run and Bieber provided a steady outing as Toronto beat the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, tying the World Series at two games each and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Toronto.

Toronto had spent the early hours of Tuesday processing their marathon Game 3 loss – equal to the lengthiest World Series game ever – a defeat that cost them the chance to take the lead in the series and burned through both bullpens. Skipper Schneider stated later that “they won a game, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad offered convincing proof.

Early Innings

The Los Angeles again struck first. Muncy walked in the second, advanced on a base hit and scored on Hernández's fly out. But the initial score did not shake a Blue Jays club that topped Major League Baseball with 49 comeback wins this season.

They answered right away in the third inning. Nathan Lukes lined a one away base hit to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in hunting a breaking ball. Ohtani left a slider up and Guerrero drove it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his first extra-base hit of the World Series and his 7th home run this playoffs – a fresh team mark – regaining the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 shutout frames and changing the momentum of the game.

Ohtani's Performance

That swing also ended Shohei Ohtani's history-making run of 11 straight at-bats reaching base. The dual-threat phenomenon had smashed two homers and got on base a record nine times in the Dodgers' third game comeback win. But on that night, he started on limited rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the previous marathon.

Ohtani pitch speed sat below his seasonal norm and he struggled more as the contest progressed. Nonetheless, he displayed flashes of his typical control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and striking out six. He even walked in the first inning to continue his Fall Classic streak. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six base hits and four earned runs were credited to him in over six frames.

Seventh Inning Surge

The bigger issue for the Dodgers was what came next when he finally ran out of energy.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh inning with a sharp single to right field, and Clement drilled a two-base hit off the fence to put two on with none out. Dave Roberts had little choice but to remove Ohtani, who exited to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not finish the escape.

Anthony Banda inherited the mess and immediately fell behind. Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before scoring the runner with a single to left. France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove the pitcher out of the contest. Blake Treinen came in next but also was unable to stop the momentum: Bichette and Barger hit run-scoring singles through the infield, completing a four-run barrage that extended the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Toronto's ability to withstand initial blows and respond has defined their entire run. They once again did it without Springer, the hurt leadoff man who exited the third game after straining his oblique.

Bieber, in contrast, was everything Toronto needed. Traded for during the summer while completing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the former Cy Young winner stranded multiple runners and quieted the Los Angeles' potent batting order. He allowed one run on four hits and three walks before the manager summoned first-year pitcher Fluharty to face the core of the lineup in the sixth inning. He needed just four throws to retire Muncy and Edman, protecting a narrow advantage that soon became safe.

Converted starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' bats continued to struggle. The Dodgers have produced only 3 runs over their last 20 frames, an sudden downturn for a team that was among MLB's top offenses all season.

Final Moments

The Dodgers managed a score in the ninth when Edman grounded out to bring home Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's double put two on base. But Louis Varland closed it down without permitting a comeback to develop.

After a night when the Blue Jays stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and fell apart after repeated of wasted chances, the fourth contest was brutally efficient. 6 different Blue Jays recorded hits, five drove in scores and the squad converted almost every run-scoring chance presented in the late innings.

Next Up

The win guarantees the World Series trophy will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a championship since Joe Carter's iconic game-winning home run in 1993. They now know they are assured a packed house in Toronto on Friday night – and possibly Saturday – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 approaches with the series even and momentum shifting to Toronto. Los Angeles pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Toronto's surge. Toronto respond with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Toronto knocked out Snell early in an decisive win.