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Less than a day following staggering through one of the most exhausting defeats in World Series history, the Blue Jays displayed total control.

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

The Blue Jays had spent the morning of Tuesday processing their marathon Game 3 loss – equal to the lengthiest World Series game ever – a loss that denied them the chance to take the lead in the matchup and depleted both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider insisted later that “the Dodgers won a game, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his team offered emphatic evidence.

Initial Action

The Dodgers again scored first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second, advanced on a single and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early score did not rattle a Toronto club that led Major League Baseball with 49 comeback wins this year.

They answered immediately in the third inning. Nathan Lukes lined a one-out base hit to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate hunting a curveball. Ohtani threw a slider up and he drove it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his initial long hit of the World Series and his seventh homer this postseason – a new team record – restoring the Toronto's advantage after 13 shutout frames and shifting the tone of the game.

Ohtani's Performance

That hit also halted Shohei Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 consecutive plate appearances reaching base. The two-way phenomenon had smashed two homers and reached safely a historic nine times in the Dodgers' third game walk-off. But on that night, he took the mound on limited rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the previous marathon.

Ohtani pitch speed sat below his regular-season average and he labored more as the game progressed. Even so, he showed glimpses of his usual command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and fanning six. He even walked in the first inning to extend his World Series streak. But the Blue Jays made him work: six base hits and four runs were charged to him in over six frames.

Seventh Inning Rally

The bigger problem for the Dodgers was what followed when he finally lost energy.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh inning with a sharp hit to right, 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 departed to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Dodgers' relief corps could not finish the inning.

Banda inherited the jam and right away trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez battled to a full count before driving in the runner with a single to left. France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove the pitcher out of the contest. Treinen came in next but also failed to stem the momentum: Bichette and Barger punched RBI base hits through the infield, completing a four-score outburst that extended the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Blue Jays's ability to absorb initial blows and answer has defined their whole postseason. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the hurt leadoff man who exited Game 3 after tweaking his right side.

Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what the Blue Jays needed. Acquired during the summer while completing rehab from elbow surgery, the former award-winning winner stranded multiple runners and silenced the Dodgers' potent lineup. He gave up one run on four base hits and three free passes before Schneider summoned first-year pitcher Fluharty to face the heart of the lineup in the sixth inning. He needed just 4 throws to retire Muncy and Edman, preserving a fragile lead that soon became safe.

Former starting pitcher Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' bats kept to struggle. The Dodgers have produced only 3 scores over their last 20 frames, an abrupt slowdown for a team that was among baseball's top offenses all year.

Final Moments

The Los Angeles managed a score in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman grounded out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's double put runners on base. But Varland closed it down without permitting a rally to build.

Following a night when Toronto stranded a World Series-record 19 runners and collapsed after wave upon wave of wasted chances, the fourth contest was brutally efficient. Six separate Blue Jays recorded base hits, 5 brought home scores and the team cashed almost every scoring opportunity available in the final stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The win guarantees the championship trophy will be presented at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a championship since Joe Carter's iconic game-winning home run in '93. They now are aware they are guaranteed a full house in Canada on Friday night – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what happens next in LA.

The fifth game looms with the matchup reset and momentum swinging north. Los Angeles left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Blue Jays's surge. The Blue Jays respond with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Blue Jays chased the starter early in an 11-4 win.