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Only 24 hours following enduring one of the most exhausting defeats in World Series annals, the Blue Jays displayed total control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run home run and Bieber provided a steady outing as the Blue Jays beat the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, squaring the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and ensuring the series will return to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had spent the early hours of Tuesday dealing with their marathon Game 3 loss – equal to the longest World Series game ever – a loss that cost them the opportunity to lead the series and burned through both relief corps. Manager Schneider stated afterwards that “they won a contest, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his team offered emphatic proof.

Early Innings

The Dodgers again scored first. Muncy walked in the second inning, advanced on a single and scored on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the early score did not shake a Blue Jays club that led MLB with 49 come-from-behind victories this season.

They responded immediately in the third. Lukes hit a one-out single to centre and Guerrero came to the plate hunting a curveball. Shohei Ohtani left a sweeper up and he sent it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his initial long hit of the World Series and his 7th home run this playoffs – a new club record – restoring the Blue Jays's lead after 13 shutout innings and shifting the momentum of the night.

Shohei's Performance

That hit also ended Shohei Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 consecutive at-bats reaching base. The two-way star had hit two homers and got on base a record nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 walk-off. But on Tuesday, he started on short rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the previous marathon.

His fastball velocity was below his regular-season norm and he struggled more as the game progressed. Even so, 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 to extend his World Series record. But the Blue Jays made him work: six base hits and four earned runs were charged to him in over six frames.

Seventh Inning Rally

The bigger problem for the Dodgers was what followed when he finally ran out of energy.

Varsho opened the seventh with a clean hit to right, and Ernie Clement drilled a double off the wall to put runners on with none out. Roberts had no option but to remove the starter, who exited to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Dodgers' bullpen could not finish the inning.

Banda inherited the jam and right away trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before driving in the runner with a single to left field. France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock Banda out of the game. Blake Treinen came in next but also was unable to stem the momentum: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger punched run-scoring base hits through the diamond, completing a four-score outburst that extended the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Blue Jays's capacity to withstand initial blows and answer has characterized their whole run. They once again did it without George Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order hitter who exited the third game after tweaking his right side.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what Toronto needed. Acquired during the summer while completing recovery from elbow surgery, the former award-winning winner stranded several baserunners and quieted the Los Angeles' dangerous batting order. He gave up one earned run on four hits and three walks before Schneider summoned rookie pitcher Mason Fluharty to confront the core of the order in the sixth. He needed just four throws to retire Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a narrow lead that quickly became safe.

Former starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' bats kept to struggle. The Dodgers have produced only 3 scores over their previous 20 frames, an sudden slowdown for a team that was among baseball's top offenses all season.

Closing Moments

The Los Angeles scraped a score in the ninth inning when Edman grounded out to bring home Hernández after a walk and Muncy's double put runners aboard. But Varland closed it down without allowing a comeback to build.

Following a game when Toronto left a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and collapsed after wave upon wave of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was ruthlessly efficient. 6 different Toronto players collected base hits, 5 drove in runs and the squad converted nearly every run-scoring opportunity available in the final innings.

Next Up

The win guarantees the World Series title will be presented at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not celebrated a title since Joe Carter's famous game-winning homer in '93. They now are aware they are assured a full crowd in Canada on Friday evening – and perhaps the next day – no matter what occurs next in LA.

Game 5 approaches with the matchup even and momentum shifting to Toronto. Dodgers pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Blue Jays's momentum. The Blue Jays counter with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Toronto chased the starter early in an 11-4 win.