TORONTO, Canada (AFP) — Yoshinobu Yamamoto's complete-game masterclass on the mound and home runs from Will Smith and Max Muncy propelled the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 5-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays that knotted the World Series at one game apiece on Saturday.

Japan's Yamamoto, who pitched Major League Baseball's first postseason complete game in eight years in Game 2 of the Dodgers' National League Championship Series triumph over Milwaukee, again went the distance in scintillating style as the Dodgers bounced back from an 11-4 thrashing in Game 1.

He retired the last 20 batters he faced, settling in after giving up one run and four hits in a nervy start to out-duel Toronto starting pitcher Kevin Gausman in a nail-biting contest.

"Outstanding, uber competitive, special," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Yamamoto. 

"Yeah, he was just locked in tonight. It was one of those things he said before the series, losing is not an option, and he had that look tonight."

Aiming for a quick bounce-back after their lopsided game-one loss, the defending champion Dodgers put up one run in the first inning.

Gausman retired Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts in short order to open the contest, but Freddie Freeman belted a two-out, two-strike double and scored on Smith's single.

The Blue Jays then put runners on first and third with no outs in the bottom of the first.

Yamamoto escaped the danger but needed 23 pitches to do so and Toronto pulled level in the bottom of the third when Yamamoto hit George Springer with a pitch to open the frame.

Springer advanced on a hard-hit single from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and scored on a sacrifice fly to deep centerfield by Alejandro Kirk.

"To be honest, I was not thinking I can complete the game because my pitch count racked up kind of quickly," Yamamoto said.