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

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run homer and Bieber provided a steady outing as the Blue Jays defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, squaring the Fall Classic at two games each and ensuring the matchup will head back to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had passed the morning of the next day dealing with their marathon Game 3 loss – tied for the longest World Series contest ever – a loss that denied them the chance to lead the matchup and depleted both bullpens. Manager John Schneider insisted later that “they won a game, not the World Series”. A day later, his squad provided emphatic evidence.

Initial Innings

The Los Angeles again struck first. Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, moved up on a base hit and crossed the plate on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early breakthrough did not rattle a Toronto club that topped MLB with 49 comeback victories this season.

They answered immediately in the third. Nathan Lukes lined a one away single to center field and Guerrero came to the plate looking for a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani threw a sweeper up and Guerrero drove it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his first extra-base hit of the World Series and his 7th home run this playoffs – a new club mark – restoring the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 scoreless frames and shifting the momentum of the night.

Shohei's Performance

That hit also ended Shohei Ohtani's history-making run of 11 consecutive at-bats getting on base. The two-way star had hit two home runs and got on base a record nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 walk-off. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on limited rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the previous marathon.

His fastball velocity was under his regular-season average and he labored more as the game wore on. Nonetheless, he showed flashes of his typical command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to extend his Fall Classic streak. But the Blue Jays made him work: six hits and four earned runs were charged to him in six-plus frames.

Late Game Surge

The larger issue for the Dodgers was what came next when Ohtani eventually ran out of steam.

Varsho opened the seventh inning with a clean single to right, and Ernie Clement drilled a double off the wall to put two on with no outs. Roberts had little choice but to pull Ohtani, who exited to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Dodgers' bullpen could not complete the escape.

Banda inherited the jam and immediately trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez battled to a full count before driving in Varsho with a single to left. Ty France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove the pitcher out of the game. Blake Treinen entered next but also failed to stem the rally: Bichette and Barger hit run-scoring base hits through the diamond, completing a four-score outburst that extended the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Blue Jays's capacity to withstand initial blows and answer has characterized their entire run. They once again did it without George Springer, the injured top-of-the-order man who exited the third game after tweaking his right side.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what Toronto needed. Traded for during the summer while finishing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the ex- award-winning winner stranded multiple runners and silenced the Los Angeles' potent batting order. He gave up one run on four hits and three walks before Schneider summoned rookie left-hander Fluharty to confront the core of the lineup in the sixth inning. Fluharty needed just four throws to retire Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a narrow advantage that soon grew safe.

Former starter Chris Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' bats continued to sputter. Los Angeles have produced only 3 runs over their last 20 frames, an abrupt slowdown for a team that ranked among baseball's elite lineups all season.

Final Moments

The Dodgers managed a score in the ninth when Tommy Edman grounded out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's double put runners on base. But Louis Varland finished the game without allowing a comeback to build.

Following a game when the Blue Jays left a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after repeated of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was ruthlessly effective. Six different Blue Jays collected base hits, five brought home scores and the team converted almost every scoring opportunity presented in the final innings.

Next Up

The victory ensures the championship trophy will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not won a title since Joe Carter's iconic walk-off homer in '93. They now know they are assured a packed house in Canada on Friday night – and possibly Saturday – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 approaches with the series reset and momentum shifting to Toronto. Dodgers pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Toronto's momentum. Toronto respond with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Toronto chased Snell quickly in an decisive victory.