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

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run homer and Bieber delivered a composed outing as the Blue Jays beat the Los Angeles 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 passed the early hours of Tuesday processing their 18-inning Game 3 loss – tied for the lengthiest World Series contest ever – a defeat that cost them the chance to take the lead in the series and depleted both bullpens. Skipper Schneider stated afterwards that “they won a contest, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad provided convincing proof.

Early Innings

The Los Angeles again struck first. Max Muncy walked in the second, moved up on a single and crossed the plate on Hernández's fly out. But the early breakthrough did not shake a Toronto team that led MLB with 49 come-from-behind wins this year.

They responded immediately in the third. Lukes lined a one away single to center field and Guerrero stepped in hunting a breaking ball. Ohtani threw a slider up and he sent it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his initial extra-base hit of the series and his seventh homer this playoffs – a fresh club record – restoring the Blue Jays's lead after 13 shutout innings and changing the momentum of the night.

Shohei's Performance

That swing also halted Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 consecutive plate appearances reaching base. The dual-threat phenomenon had hit two home runs and got on base a record nine times in the Los Angeles' third game comeback win. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on limited rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the previous marathon.

His pitch speed sat under his seasonal norm and he labored more as the game wore on. Nonetheless, he displayed flashes of his usual control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first to continue his Fall Classic streak. But the Toronto made him work: six hits and four runs were credited to him in over six innings.

Seventh Inning Rally

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

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh inning with a sharp hit to right, and Ernie Clement smashed a double off the fence to put runners on with no outs. Dave Roberts had little choice but to remove the starter, who exited to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not finish the escape.

Anthony Banda inherited the jam and immediately fell behind. Andrés Giménez battled to a full count before scoring the runner with a single to left field. France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock Banda out of the game. Treinen entered next but also failed to stop the momentum: Bo Bichette and Barger punched RBI base hits through the infield, capping a four-run barrage that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Blue Jays's capacity to absorb initial setbacks and answer has characterized their whole postseason. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the injured leadoff hitter who left Game 3 after straining his oblique.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what Toronto required. Traded for mid-season while finishing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the former award-winning winner stranded multiple baserunners and quieted the Los Angeles' dangerous batting order. He allowed one earned run on four hits and three free passes before the manager summoned first-year left-hander Fluharty to confront the heart of the lineup in the sixth. He needed just four throws to retire Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a narrow lead that quickly grew safe.

Converted starter Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' offense kept to sputter. The Dodgers have produced only three runs over their previous 20 frames, an abrupt downturn for a team that ranked among MLB's elite offenses all year.

Closing Innings

The Dodgers scraped a score in the ninth when Edman hit into an out to bring home Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's two-base hit put two on base. But Louis Varland finished the game without permitting a rally to build.

After a night when the Blue Jays stranded a World Series-record 19 runners and fell apart after wave upon wave of wasted chances, the fourth contest was brutally efficient. Six different Toronto players collected base hits, five drove in runs and the squad converted nearly every run-scoring chance presented in the late innings.

Next Up

The win ensures the World Series title will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a championship since Carter's famous game-winning home run in 1993. They now are aware they are assured a full house in Canada on Friday evening – and possibly Saturday – no matter what occurs next in LA.

Game 5 approaches with the matchup reset and momentum swinging to Toronto. Los Angeles left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Blue Jays's surge. The Blue Jays counter with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Blue Jays chased Snell early in an decisive victory.