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Only 24 hours after enduring one of the most exhausting defeats in World Series annals, the Blue Jays displayed complete control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run homer and Bieber delivered a composed outing as Toronto beat the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, squaring the Fall Classic at two games each and ensuring the matchup will head back to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had spent the early hours of Tuesday dealing with their marathon Game 3 loss – equal to the longest World Series game ever – a defeat that cost them the opportunity to lead the series and burned through both relief corps. Manager John Schneider stated later that “they took a game, not the World Series”. A day later, his team provided emphatic proof.

Early Action

The Los Angeles again struck first. Max Muncy walked in the second inning, advanced on a base hit and crossed the plate on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial breakthrough did not rattle a Blue Jays team that led Major League Baseball with 49 comeback wins this year.

They answered right away in the third. Nathan Lukes hit a one-out base hit to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in looking for a breaking ball. Ohtani threw a slider up and he sent it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his first long hit of the series and his 7th home run this postseason – a fresh club mark – regaining the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 shutout frames and shifting the momentum of the game.

Shohei's Performance

That hit also halted Shohei Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 consecutive at-bats getting on base. The two-way star had hit two home runs and reached safely a historic nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 walk-off. But on that night, he started on short rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the prior marathon.

His fastball velocity sat under his regular-season norm and he labored more as the game progressed. Even so, he showed flashes of his usual command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to extend his Fall Classic record. But the Toronto made him work: six hits and four runs were charged to him in over six frames.

Late Game Surge

The bigger issue for Los Angeles was what followed when he finally lost energy.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh with a clean single to right, and Ernie Clement smashed a double off the wall to put runners on with none out. Roberts had little choice but to remove Ohtani, who departed to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Dodgers' bullpen could not finish the escape.

Banda inherited the jam and right away 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 remove Banda out of the contest. Treinen entered next but also failed to stem the momentum: Bo Bichette and Barger hit RBI base hits through the diamond, capping a four-run barrage that extended the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Blue Jays's ability to withstand initial blows and answer has characterized their entire run. They once again did it without Springer, the hurt leadoff hitter who exited the third game after straining his oblique.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what Toronto needed. Traded for during the summer while finishing rehab from elbow surgery, the former Cy Young winner stranded multiple baserunners and silenced the Los Angeles' dangerous batting order. He allowed one earned run on four hits and three walks before the manager called on rookie pitcher Fluharty to face the heart of the order in the sixth. He needed just four throws to get out Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a fragile lead that quickly became comfortable.

Former starter Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' bats kept to sputter. Los Angeles have scored only 3 scores over their last 20 innings, an abrupt downturn for a team that ranked among baseball's top lineups all year.

Final Innings

The Los Angeles scraped a score in the ninth inning when Edman hit into an out to bring home Hernández after a walk and Muncy's two-base hit put two aboard. But Louis Varland closed it down without allowing a comeback to build.

After a night when the Blue Jays stranded a World Series-record 19 runners and collapsed after wave upon wave of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was ruthlessly effective. 6 different Blue Jays collected hits, 5 drove in scores and the team converted nearly every scoring chance available in the final innings.

Looking Ahead

The victory ensures the championship trophy will be presented at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a title since Joe Carter's iconic game-winning homer in 1993. They now are aware they are assured a full crowd in Canada on Friday night – and possibly the next day – no matter what occurs next in LA.

The fifth game approaches with the matchup even and momentum swinging north. Los Angeles pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Toronto's surge. Toronto counter with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Blue Jays chased Snell quickly in an 11-4 win.