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Less than a day following staggering through one of the most draining losses in Fall Classic annals, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed complete control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run home run and Bieber provided a composed outing as Toronto defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night 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 18-inning third game defeat – equal to the longest World Series game ever – a loss that denied them the opportunity to take the lead in the series and burned through both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider insisted later that “they won a contest, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his team provided convincing proof.

Early Action

The Los Angeles again scored first. Muncy walked in the second, advanced on a single and scored on Hernández's fly out. But the early score did not shake a Blue Jays club that topped Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind victories this season.

They responded immediately in the third. Nathan Lukes hit a one away base hit to centre and Guerrero came to the plate looking for a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani left a slider up and Guerrero sent it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his initial extra-base hit of the series and his seventh home run this postseason – a new team mark – restoring the Toronto's lead after 13 shutout innings and changing the momentum of the game.

Ohtani's Night

That hit also halted Shohei Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 straight plate appearances getting on base. The dual-threat star had hit two home runs and reached safely a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 comeback win. But on that night, he took the mound on short rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the prior marathon.

Ohtani fastball velocity sat below his seasonal average and he labored more as the contest wore on. Nonetheless, he showed glimpses of his usual command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and striking out six. He even walked in the first to extend his World Series streak. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six hits and four earned runs were charged to him in six-plus innings.

Seventh Inning Surge

The larger issue for the Dodgers was what followed when Ohtani finally ran out of steam.

Varsho started the seventh inning with a sharp hit to right field, and Clement smashed a two-base hit off the fence to put runners on with no outs. Dave Roberts had little choice but to pull the starter, who exited to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Dodgers' bullpen could not finish the inning.

Banda came into the jam and right away trailed in the count. Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before scoring Varsho with a base hit to left field. France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock the pitcher out of the contest. Blake Treinen came in next but also was unable to stop the momentum: Bo Bichette and Barger punched RBI singles through the infield, completing a four-run barrage that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Blue Jays's ability to absorb early blows and respond has defined their entire run. They once again did it without Springer, the injured top-of-the-order hitter who exited the third game after tweaking his right side.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what the Blue Jays required. Traded for mid-season while completing rehab from elbow surgery, the ex- award-winning winner stranded multiple runners and silenced the Dodgers' potent lineup. He allowed one earned run on four hits and three walks before Schneider summoned first-year left-hander Fluharty to face the heart of the order in the sixth. He needed just four pitches to retire Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a narrow lead that quickly grew comfortable.

Converted starter Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' offense continued to sputter. Los Angeles have scored only 3 runs over their previous 20 innings, an sudden downturn for a team that ranked among baseball's top offenses all year.

Final Innings

The Los Angeles managed a run in the ninth when Tommy Edman grounded out to score Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's two-base hit put two on base. But Louis Varland closed it down without permitting a comeback to develop.

Following a game when the Blue Jays left a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after repeated of missed opportunities, Game 4 was ruthlessly effective. 6 separate Toronto players collected base hits, five brought home runs and the squad converted almost every scoring chance presented in the late stanzas.

Next Up

The victory ensures the championship trophy will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not won a championship since Joe Carter's iconic walk-off home run in 1993. They now know they are guaranteed a full house in Toronto on Friday night – and possibly the next day – no matter what occurs next in LA.

The fifth game approaches with the series reset and energy shifting to Toronto. Los Angeles pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Toronto's surge. Toronto counter with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Blue Jays knocked out Snell early in an decisive win.