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Only 24 hours after staggering through one of the most exhausting losses in Fall Classic history, the Blue Jays displayed total command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber delivered a composed outing as Toronto defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, squaring the Fall Classic at two games each and guaranteeing the series will head back to Canada.

The Blue Jays had spent the morning of the next day dealing with their 18-inning third game defeat – tied for the lengthiest Fall Classic game ever – a defeat that denied them the chance to take the lead in the series and depleted both relief corps. Manager Schneider stated afterwards that “they won a contest, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad provided convincing proof.

Initial Action

The Dodgers again scored first. Muncy drew a walk in the second, moved up on a single and scored on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early breakthrough did not rattle a Toronto club that topped Major League Baseball with 49 comeback victories this season.

They responded right away in the third inning. Nathan Lukes hit a one away base hit to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in hunting a curveball. Ohtani threw a sweeper up and he drove it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his initial extra-base hit of the World Series and his seventh homer this playoffs – a new club mark – restoring the Toronto's advantage after 13 scoreless frames and changing the momentum of the game.

Shohei's Performance

That hit also halted Ohtani's history-making run of 11 consecutive at-bats getting on base. The dual-threat phenomenon had hit two home runs and got on base a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' third game comeback win. But on that night, he started on limited rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the prior marathon.

His pitch speed was under his seasonal average and he labored more as the game progressed. Nonetheless, he showed glimpses of his typical command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and fanning six. He even walked in the first inning to extend his World Series streak. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six base hits and four earned runs were credited to him in over six innings.

Seventh Inning Rally

The larger problem for the Dodgers was what followed when he finally lost steam.

Varsho started the seventh with a sharp hit to right, and Clement drilled a double off the fence to put runners on with none out. Roberts had little choice but to remove the starter, who departed to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not complete the escape.

Anthony Banda came into the jam and right away fell behind. Andrés Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before scoring Varsho with a single to left field. France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove the pitcher out of the game. Treinen entered next but also was unable to stop the momentum: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger hit run-scoring base hits through the diamond, completing a four-run outburst that extended the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Blue Jays's ability to absorb early blows and answer has defined their whole run. They once again succeeded without Springer, the injured leadoff hitter who exited Game 3 after tweaking his oblique.

Bieber, in contrast, was everything the Blue Jays needed. Acquired mid-season while completing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the ex- award-winning winner stranded multiple baserunners and silenced the Dodgers' potent lineup. He gave up one earned run on four base hits and three walks before the manager called on rookie left-hander Fluharty to confront the core of the lineup in the sixth inning. Fluharty needed just four throws to get out Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a narrow advantage that soon grew comfortable.

Converted starter Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' offense kept to struggle. The Dodgers have produced only three scores over their last 20 frames, an sudden slowdown for a club that ranked among MLB's elite lineups all season.

Closing Innings

The Dodgers scraped a run in the ninth when Edman grounded out to bring home Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's double put runners aboard. But Louis Varland closed it down without allowing a rally to develop.

Following a game when Toronto left a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after repeated of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was ruthlessly efficient. 6 separate Toronto players collected base hits, 5 brought home runs and the squad converted nearly every scoring chance presented in the late innings.

Next Up

The win ensures the World Series trophy will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not celebrated a title since Joe Carter's famous game-winning homer in '93. They now know they are guaranteed a full crowd in Toronto on Friday night – and perhaps the next day – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game looms with the series even and energy shifting north. Dodgers pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Blue Jays's surge. The Blue Jays 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 11-4 win.