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Only 24 hours after staggering through one of the most exhausting losses in Fall Classic annals, the Toronto Blue Jays played with complete control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run home run and Bieber provided a steady outing as the Blue Jays defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, squaring the World Series at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the series will return to Toronto.

Toronto had passed the early hours of Tuesday processing their marathon Game 3 loss – tied for the lengthiest Fall Classic contest ever – a defeat that denied them the opportunity to lead the series and burned through both bullpens. Manager Schneider stated later that “the Dodgers won a contest, not the World Series”. A day later, his squad provided convincing evidence.

Initial Innings

The Los Angeles again struck first. Muncy drew a walk in the second, advanced on a single and scored on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the early breakthrough did not shake a Toronto club that topped MLB with 49 come-from-behind victories this year.

They answered right away in the third. Nathan Lukes hit a one away base hit to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in looking for a curveball. Ohtani threw a slider up and Guerrero drove it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his initial extra-base hit of the series and his seventh home run this postseason – a fresh team mark – regaining the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 scoreless frames and changing the tone of the game.

Shohei's Night

That hit also ended Shohei Ohtani's history-making run of 11 straight at-bats reaching base. The two-way star had smashed two home runs and reached safely a record nine times in the Los Angeles' third game walk-off. But on that night, he started on short rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the prior extra-inning game.

Ohtani pitch speed sat under his regular-season norm and he labored more as the game wore on. Even so, he displayed flashes of his usual control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and striking out six. He even walked in the first inning to continue his World Series record. But the Toronto made him work: six hits and four runs were credited to him in over six frames.

Seventh Inning Surge

The larger issue for Los Angeles was what followed when he eventually lost steam.

Daulton Varsho started the seventh inning with a clean single to right, and Clement drilled a double off the fence to put two on with none out. Dave Roberts had no option but to pull the starter, who departed to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not finish the escape.

Anthony Banda came into the mess and immediately trailed in the count. Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before driving in Varsho with a single to left field. Ty 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 came in next but also failed to stop the momentum: Bichette and Addison Barger hit run-scoring base hits through the diamond, completing a four-score outburst that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Blue Jays's capacity to withstand initial blows and answer has defined their whole postseason. They once again did it without George Springer, the injured top-of-the-order hitter who left Game 3 after straining his right side.

Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what the Blue Jays needed. Acquired mid-season while completing rehab from elbow surgery, the former Cy Young winner stranded several baserunners and quieted the Los Angeles' dangerous batting order. He gave up one run on four base hits and three walks before the manager called on first-year pitcher Fluharty to face the core of the order in the sixth inning. He required just 4 throws to get out Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a narrow lead that soon became safe.

Former starter Chris Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' bats continued to struggle. Los Angeles have scored only 3 runs over their last 20 frames, an abrupt slowdown for a team that ranked among MLB's elite lineups all year.

Final Innings

The Dodgers scraped a score in the ninth when Tommy Edman grounded out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Muncy's two-base hit put two aboard. But Louis Varland closed it down without permitting a rally to build.

Following a game when Toronto stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and fell apart after repeated of wasted chances, the fourth contest was ruthlessly effective. 6 different Toronto players collected base hits, 5 brought home scores and the squad converted almost every run-scoring opportunity presented in the late stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The win ensures the World Series title will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not won a championship since Carter's famous game-winning home run in '93. They now know they are assured a packed crowd in Canada on Friday night – and possibly the next day – no matter what happens next in LA.

The fifth game looms with the series even and momentum swinging north. Los Angeles pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Toronto's surge. The Blue Jays counter with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Toronto chased Snell early in an decisive win.