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Only 24 hours after staggering through one of the most exhausting defeats in World Series history, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed total control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run homer and Bieber delivered a composed start as the Blue Jays defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, squaring the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the matchup will return to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had spent the early hours of the next day processing their marathon Game 3 loss – tied for the longest World Series contest ever – a defeat that cost them the chance to lead the series and burned through both relief corps. Skipper Schneider stated later that “the Dodgers took a game, not the championship”. A day later, his squad provided convincing evidence.

Initial Action

The Dodgers again scored first. Muncy drew a walk 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 Major League Baseball with 49 comeback wins this year.

They responded right away in the third inning. Lukes hit a one-out single to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in hunting a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani left 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 7th homer this playoffs – a new club record – regaining the Toronto's advantage after 13 scoreless innings and changing the tone of the game.

Shohei's Night

That swing also ended Shohei Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 consecutive plate appearances reaching base. The dual-threat phenomenon had smashed two home runs and got on base a historic nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 comeback win. But on Tuesday, he started on short rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the prior extra-inning game.

Ohtani pitch speed was below his seasonal norm and he labored more as the game wore on. Even so, he showed glimpses of his usual control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and fanning six. He even walked in the first to extend his Fall Classic streak. But the Blue Jays made him work: six hits and four runs were credited to him in over six innings.

Seventh Inning Rally

The bigger problem for Los Angeles was what came next when he finally ran out of energy.

Daulton Varsho started the seventh with a sharp hit to right, and Ernie Clement drilled a double off the wall to put two on with no outs. Dave Roberts had no option but to pull Ohtani, who exited to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Dodgers' relief corps could not complete the inning.

Anthony Banda inherited the mess and right away trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before scoring Varsho with a base hit to left. France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock Banda out of the contest. Treinen came in next but also was unable to stop the rally: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger hit run-scoring singles through the diamond, completing a four-score barrage that extended the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Blue Jays's ability to absorb initial blows and answer has defined their whole run. They once again did it without Springer, the hurt leadoff hitter who left the third game after tweaking his right side.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what the Blue Jays needed. Traded for mid-season while completing rehab from elbow surgery, the former award-winning winner stranded several baserunners and quieted the Los Angeles' potent lineup. He allowed one run on four base hits and three walks before Schneider called on first-year left-hander Fluharty to face the heart of the order in the sixth inning. He needed just 4 pitches to get out Max Muncy and Edman, preserving a fragile advantage that quickly grew safe.

Converted starting pitcher Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' offense kept to sputter. Los Angeles have scored only three runs over their last 20 frames, an abrupt downturn for a club that ranked among MLB's top offenses all year.

Closing Moments

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

After a game when the Blue Jays left a World Series-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after repeated of missed chances, Game 4 was ruthlessly efficient. 6 separate Toronto players collected hits, 5 drove in scores and the squad cashed nearly every scoring opportunity presented in the final stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The victory ensures the championship trophy will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not celebrated a title since Joe Carter's iconic game-winning homer in 1993. They now are aware they are guaranteed a packed house in Canada on Friday night – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what happens next in LA.

Game 5 looms with the series even and energy shifting to Toronto. Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Toronto's momentum. The Blue Jays respond with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Toronto chased the starter quickly in an 11-4 victory.