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Less than a day after enduring one of the most draining losses in World Series annals, the Blue Jays played with total control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run home run and Bieber delivered a composed outing as Toronto defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, squaring the World Series at two games each and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Toronto.

Toronto had spent the morning of Tuesday dealing with their marathon Game 3 loss – equal to the lengthiest World Series contest ever – a loss that denied them the opportunity to take the lead in the series and depleted both bullpens. Skipper Schneider stated later that “the Dodgers took a game, not the World Series”. A day later, his squad provided emphatic proof.

Early Innings

The Dodgers again scored first. Max Muncy walked in the second, advanced on a single and scored on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early breakthrough did not rattle a Toronto club that led Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind victories this year.

They responded right away in the third. Lukes hit a one-out base hit to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate looking for a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani left a sweeper up and Guerrero sent it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his initial extra-base hit of the World Series and his seventh homer this postseason – a new team record – restoring the Blue Jays's lead after 13 scoreless innings and shifting the momentum of the game.

Ohtani's Performance

That hit also ended Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 consecutive at-bats reaching base. The dual-threat star had smashed two homers and reached safely a record nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 comeback win. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on short rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the previous marathon.

His pitch speed was below his regular-season norm and he struggled more as the contest wore on. Nonetheless, he displayed glimpses of his usual command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to continue his World Series record. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six base hits and four earned runs were credited to him in over six innings.

Seventh Inning Rally

The bigger issue for Los Angeles was what followed when he eventually ran out of energy.

Varsho started the seventh with a sharp single to right, and Ernie Clement smashed a two-base hit off the fence to put runners on with none out. Roberts had little choice but to remove Ohtani, who exited to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Dodgers' bullpen could not complete the inning.

Anthony Banda inherited the jam and right away trailed in the count. Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before scoring Varsho with a single to left field. 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 entered next but also was unable to stem the momentum: 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 Resilience

The Toronto's capacity to withstand initial blows and respond has defined their whole run. They once again succeeded without Springer, the injured leadoff hitter who left Game 3 after straining his oblique.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was everything Toronto required. Traded for during the summer while completing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner stranded several baserunners and quieted the Los Angeles' dangerous lineup. He allowed one earned run on four hits and three walks before Schneider summoned rookie left-hander Fluharty to confront the heart of the lineup in the sixth inning. He needed just 4 throws to retire Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a fragile lead that quickly became comfortable.

Converted starting pitcher Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' bats kept to sputter. The Dodgers have produced only three scores over their previous 20 frames, an sudden slowdown for a team that ranked among MLB's elite offenses all year.

Closing Moments

The Los Angeles managed a score in the ninth when Edman hit into an out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's double put runners aboard. But Louis Varland finished the game without allowing a rally to develop.

Following a game when Toronto stranded a World Series-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after wave upon wave of wasted chances, the fourth contest was ruthlessly effective. Six separate Toronto players collected base hits, 5 brought home scores and the team converted nearly every scoring opportunity presented in the final innings.

Looking Ahead

The victory ensures the World Series trophy will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a title since Carter's famous game-winning homer in 1993. They now are aware they are assured a full house in Toronto on Friday evening – and perhaps the next day – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game looms with the matchup reset and momentum shifting to Toronto. Los Angeles pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Toronto's momentum. The Blue Jays counter with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Toronto knocked out the starter early in an 11-4 win.