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Only 24 hours following staggering through one of the most draining defeats in Fall Classic annals, the Toronto Blue Jays played with total control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber provided a steady outing as Toronto defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, tying the Fall Classic at two games each and ensuring the series will return to Canada.

The Blue Jays had spent the early hours of the next day processing their 18-inning Game 3 loss – tied for the lengthiest World Series contest ever – a loss that cost them the chance to lead the series and burned through both bullpens. Skipper Schneider stated afterwards that “they took a contest, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad provided convincing evidence.

Early Innings

The Dodgers again scored first. Muncy walked in the second inning, moved up on a base hit and crossed the plate on Hernández's fly out. But the early score did not shake a Toronto club that led MLB with 49 comeback victories this season.

They responded immediately in the third. Nathan Lukes hit a one away base hit to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in looking for a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani threw a sweeper up and he drove it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his first long hit of the series and his 7th home run this playoffs – a new team record – regaining the Blue Jays's lead after 13 shutout innings and shifting the tone of the night.

Shohei's Performance

That hit also halted Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 consecutive at-bats reaching base. The two-way phenomenon had hit two homers and got on base a historic nine times in the Dodgers' third game walk-off. But on that night, he took the mound on short rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the previous marathon.

Ohtani fastball velocity was below his regular-season norm and he labored more as the contest wore on. Nonetheless, he displayed flashes of his typical control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and fanning six. He even walked in the first to continue his World Series streak. But the Blue Jays made him work: six base hits and four runs were credited to him in six-plus frames.

Seventh Inning Surge

The bigger issue for the Dodgers was what came next when Ohtani eventually lost energy.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh with a sharp hit to right, and Clement drilled a double off the wall to put two on with none out. Roberts had little choice but to remove the starter, who departed to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Dodgers' relief corps could not complete the escape.

Anthony Banda inherited the mess and right away fell behind. Giménez battled to a full count before driving in Varsho with a single to left. France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock the pitcher out of the game. Blake Treinen came in next but also failed to stem the momentum: Bichette and Barger hit run-scoring singles through the infield, capping a four-run outburst that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Toronto's ability to absorb initial setbacks and respond has characterized their whole postseason. They once again did it without George Springer, the injured top-of-the-order man who left Game 3 after tweaking his right side.

Bieber, meanwhile, was everything Toronto needed. Acquired during the summer while finishing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the former award-winning winner left multiple baserunners and silenced the Dodgers' potent lineup. He allowed one earned run on four base hits and three walks before the manager summoned rookie left-hander Fluharty to face the heart of the order in the sixth inning. He required just 4 pitches to get out Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a fragile lead that soon grew comfortable.

Former starting pitcher Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' bats kept to struggle. Los Angeles have produced only 3 runs over their previous 20 frames, an sudden slowdown for a team that ranked among baseball's top lineups all season.

Final Innings

The Dodgers scraped a score in the ninth when Edman hit into an out to score Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's two-base hit put two aboard. But Varland closed it down without permitting a comeback to build.

After a game when the Blue Jays left a World Series-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after wave upon wave of missed chances, the fourth contest was ruthlessly efficient. Six separate Blue Jays recorded base hits, five drove in runs and the team cashed almost every scoring opportunity available in the final innings.

Next Up

The victory guarantees the championship trophy will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not won a title since Joe Carter's iconic game-winning home run in '93. They now know they are assured a packed house in Toronto on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what happens next in LA.

The fifth game looms with the series even and energy swinging north. Los Angeles left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Blue Jays's momentum. The Blue Jays counter with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Blue Jays chased Snell early in an decisive victory.