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

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber delivered a steady outing as Toronto beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, squaring the World Series at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the series will head back to Canada.

The Blue Jays had spent the early hours of Tuesday processing their marathon third game defeat – equal to the lengthiest Fall Classic contest ever – a loss that denied them the opportunity to lead the matchup and burned through both relief corps. Manager John Schneider insisted afterwards that “the Dodgers won a game, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his team offered convincing proof.

Early 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 fly out. But the initial score did not rattle a Toronto team that topped MLB with 49 comeback wins this year.

They responded right away in the third. Lukes lined a one away single to center field and Guerrero came to the plate hunting a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani threw a sweeper up and Guerrero sent it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his first extra-base hit of the series and his 7th homer this playoffs – a new team record – restoring the Blue Jays's lead after 13 scoreless frames and shifting the momentum of the game.

Shohei's Performance

That hit also halted Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 straight plate appearances reaching base. The two-way phenomenon had smashed two home runs and got on base a record nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 comeback win. But on Tuesday, he started on limited rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the previous marathon.

Ohtani fastball velocity sat under his seasonal norm and he struggled more as the contest wore on. Nonetheless, he showed flashes of his usual command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to extend his Fall Classic record. But the Blue Jays made him work: six hits and four runs were credited to him in over six frames.

Seventh Inning Rally

The larger issue for the Dodgers was what came next when Ohtani eventually lost steam.

Varsho started the seventh inning with a sharp hit to right field, and Clement smashed a two-base hit off the wall to put runners on with no outs. Dave Roberts had little choice but to remove Ohtani, who exited to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Dodgers' relief corps could not finish the escape.

Anthony Banda inherited the jam and immediately fell behind. Giménez fought to a full count before scoring the runner with a single to left field. France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock the pitcher out of the game. Treinen entered next but also was unable to stop the momentum: Bichette and Addison Barger punched run-scoring base hits through the infield, capping a four-score barrage that extended the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Blue Jays's ability to absorb early blows and answer has characterized their whole run. They once again did it without George Springer, the hurt leadoff man who exited the third game after tweaking his right side.

Bieber, meanwhile, was everything the Blue Jays needed. Traded for mid-season while completing recovery from elbow surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner left multiple baserunners and quieted the Dodgers' potent batting order. He gave up one run on four hits and three walks before the manager summoned rookie left-hander Mason Fluharty to confront the core of the lineup in the sixth. He required just 4 pitches to get out Max Muncy and Edman, preserving a fragile advantage that soon grew safe.

Former starting pitcher Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' offense continued to sputter. Los Angeles have scored only 3 scores over their last 20 innings, an sudden downturn for a club that ranked among MLB's top offenses all season.

Closing Innings

The Dodgers scraped a score in the ninth when Edman grounded out to bring home Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's double put two on base. But Louis Varland finished the game without allowing a comeback to build.

Following a night when Toronto stranded a World Series-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after wave upon wave of wasted opportunities, Game 4 was ruthlessly efficient. 6 different Toronto players recorded base hits, five brought home runs and the squad cashed almost every scoring chance available in the late innings.

Looking Ahead

The victory ensures the World Series trophy will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a title since Carter's famous game-winning home run in 1993. They now are aware they are assured a packed crowd in Toronto on Friday night – and possibly the next day – no matter what occurs next in LA.

Game 5 approaches with the matchup even and momentum swinging to Toronto. Los Angeles pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Toronto's momentum. The Blue Jays counter with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Toronto knocked out Snell quickly in an 11-4 win.