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

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run homer and Bieber provided a composed start as the Blue Jays beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, squaring the Fall Classic at two games each and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Canada.

Toronto had spent the morning of Tuesday dealing with their 18-inning Game 3 loss – equal to the longest Fall Classic game ever – a defeat that denied them the chance to take the lead in the matchup and burned through both relief corps. Skipper Schneider stated afterwards that “they won a game, not the World Series”. A day later, his squad offered convincing proof.

Early Innings

The Dodgers again struck first. Max Muncy walked in the second inning, moved up on a base hit and crossed the plate on Hernández's fly out. But the initial breakthrough did not shake a Blue Jays club that topped Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind victories this season.

They answered right away in the third inning. Nathan Lukes hit a one-out base hit to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in looking for a breaking ball. Ohtani threw a sweeper up and he drove it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his first extra-base hit of the World Series and his seventh homer this postseason – a fresh club record – restoring the Blue Jays's lead after 13 scoreless innings and shifting the tone of the game.

Ohtani's Night

That hit also ended Shohei Ohtani's history-making run of 11 straight plate appearances getting on base. The dual-threat phenomenon had smashed two homers and got on base a record nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 walk-off. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on limited rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the prior extra-inning game.

His pitch speed sat below his regular-season norm and he labored more as the contest wore on. Even so, he displayed flashes of his usual control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first to continue his Fall Classic streak. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six hits and four runs were charged to him in over six frames.

Late Game Surge

The bigger problem for the Dodgers was what followed when Ohtani finally lost steam.

Varsho opened the seventh with a clean single to right, and Clement smashed a double off the fence to put two on with no outs. Roberts had no option but to remove Ohtani, who exited to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not complete the inning.

Anthony Banda came into the jam and right away fell behind. Giménez fought to a full count before driving in Varsho with a base hit to left field. Ty France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock the pitcher out of the game. Blake Treinen came in next but also failed to stem the momentum: Bichette and Addison Barger punched RBI singles through the diamond, completing a four-run barrage that extended the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Blue Jays's capacity to absorb initial setbacks and answer has characterized their entire postseason. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the injured top-of-the-order hitter who exited the third game after straining his right side.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was everything Toronto required. Acquired mid-season while finishing rehab from elbow surgery, the ex- award-winning winner left several baserunners and silenced the Dodgers' potent lineup. He gave up one run on four hits and three free passes before Schneider called on rookie left-hander Mason Fluharty to confront the heart of the order in the sixth. Fluharty required just 4 throws to get out Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a fragile lead that soon became safe.

Converted starter Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' offense continued to sputter. Los Angeles have produced only 3 runs over their previous 20 frames, an abrupt slowdown for a club that ranked among MLB's elite offenses all season.

Closing Moments

The Los Angeles managed a score in the ninth when Edman hit into an out to score Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's double put two on base. But Louis Varland finished the game without permitting a comeback to develop.

Following a game when Toronto left a World Series-record 19 runners and collapsed after repeated of missed chances, the fourth contest was brutally effective. 6 separate Toronto players recorded base hits, five drove in scores and the team converted nearly every run-scoring opportunity available in the late innings.

Next Up

The victory guarantees the World Series title will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not celebrated a championship since Carter's iconic walk-off homer in 1993. They now are aware they are guaranteed a full house in Canada on Friday evening – and perhaps the next day – no matter what happens next in LA.

Game 5 looms with the matchup reset and momentum shifting north. Los Angeles left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Toronto's surge. Toronto counter with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Blue Jays knocked out the starter quickly in an decisive win.