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Less than a day following staggering through one of the most draining defeats in World Series history, the Blue Jays displayed complete command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber provided a steady outing as Toronto defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, squaring the Fall Classic at two games each and guaranteeing the series will return to Canada.

The Blue Jays had spent the morning of the next day processing their marathon Game 3 loss – tied for the lengthiest World Series contest ever – a loss that denied them the chance to take the lead in the matchup and burned through both relief corps. Manager John Schneider insisted afterwards that “the Dodgers took a contest, not the championship”. A day later, his team offered convincing proof.

Initial Innings

The Los Angeles again struck first. Max Muncy walked in the second inning, advanced on a base hit and scored on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the initial score did not rattle a Toronto club that led MLB with 49 comeback victories this season.

They responded immediately in the third. Nathan Lukes lined a one-out single to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in looking for a breaking ball. Ohtani left a sweeper up and he sent it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his initial long hit of the World Series and his 7th home run this postseason – a new team mark – restoring the Blue Jays's lead after 13 scoreless innings and shifting the tone of the night.

Shohei's Performance

That hit also halted Shohei Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 straight plate appearances reaching base. The two-way phenomenon had smashed two home runs and got on base a record nine times in the Dodgers' third game comeback win. But on Tuesday, he started on limited rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the prior extra-inning game.

Ohtani pitch speed sat under his regular-season average and he labored more as the contest wore on. Even so, he showed flashes of his typical command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first to extend his World Series streak. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six hits and four earned runs were charged to him in six-plus innings.

Late Game Surge

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

Varsho opened the seventh with a sharp single to right field, and Clement smashed a double off the fence to put two on with none out. Dave Roberts had little choice but to pull the starter, who exited to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Dodgers' bullpen could not finish the escape.

Banda inherited the mess and right away fell behind. Andrés Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before scoring Varsho with a base hit to left. France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove Banda out of the contest. Blake Treinen came in next but also failed to stem the rally: Bichette and Barger hit run-scoring base hits through the infield, completing a four-run outburst that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Toronto's capacity to absorb early blows and answer has defined their entire postseason. They once again did it without Springer, the injured top-of-the-order hitter who left the third game after straining his oblique.

Bieber, meanwhile, was everything the Blue Jays required. Acquired mid-season while finishing recovery from elbow surgery, the ex- award-winning winner stranded several runners and silenced the Los Angeles' potent batting order. He gave up one run on four hits and three free passes before Schneider summoned rookie pitcher Mason Fluharty to face the heart of the order in the sixth. He needed just 4 pitches to retire Max Muncy and Edman, preserving a narrow lead that quickly grew comfortable.

Converted starter Chris Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' bats kept to struggle. Los Angeles have produced only 3 runs over their previous 20 innings, an sudden slowdown for a team that ranked among baseball's top offenses all year.

Final Moments

The Los Angeles managed a run in the ninth when Edman grounded out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's double put two on base. But Varland finished the game without allowing a comeback to build.

After a night when Toronto stranded a World Series-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after repeated of wasted opportunities, Game 4 was ruthlessly efficient. 6 different Blue Jays collected base hits, 5 drove in scores and the team converted nearly every scoring chance available in the late stanzas.

Next Up

The win ensures the championship trophy will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a title since Carter's famous walk-off home run in 1993. They now are aware they are guaranteed a packed crowd in Canada on Friday night – and perhaps the next day – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game approaches with the series reset and energy swinging to Toronto. Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Blue Jays's momentum. Toronto counter with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Blue Jays chased the starter quickly in an decisive win.