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Less than a day following staggering through one of the most exhausting losses in World Series annals, the Blue Jays displayed total control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber provided a steady start as Toronto beat the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, tying the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the matchup will return to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had spent the morning of the next day processing their 18-inning Game 3 loss – tied for the lengthiest Fall Classic contest ever – a loss that cost them the chance to take the lead in the matchup and burned through both bullpens. Manager John Schneider insisted later that “they won a game, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad provided convincing evidence.

Initial Innings

The Dodgers again scored first. Max Muncy walked in the second inning, advanced on a base hit and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial breakthrough did not rattle a Blue Jays club that topped Major League Baseball with 49 comeback wins this season.

They responded right away in the third inning. Nathan Lukes hit a one-out base hit to centre and Guerrero stepped in looking for a breaking ball. Ohtani left a sweeper up and he drove it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his initial extra-base hit of the World Series and his seventh home run this playoffs – a new team mark – restoring the Toronto's lead after 13 shutout frames and changing the tone of the night.

Shohei's Night

That hit also ended Shohei Ohtani's history-making run of 11 straight at-bats getting on base. The two-way star had smashed two home runs and got on base a historic nine times in the Dodgers' third game comeback win. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on limited rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the previous extra-inning game.

His fastball velocity sat below his seasonal average and he labored more as the contest progressed. Nonetheless, he showed glimpses of his usual command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to continue his Fall Classic record. But the Toronto made him work: six hits and four runs were credited to him in over six frames.

Late Game Surge

The bigger problem for Los Angeles was what followed when Ohtani eventually lost steam.

Varsho started the seventh inning with a clean hit to right, and Ernie Clement smashed a two-base hit off the wall to put runners on with no outs. Dave Roberts had little choice but to pull the starter, who exited to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not finish the inning.

Banda came into the jam and immediately fell behind. Andrés Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before scoring Varsho with a base hit to left. Ty France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock the pitcher out of the game. Treinen entered next but also was unable to stop the rally: Bichette and Addison Barger punched RBI base hits through the diamond, capping a four-score barrage that extended the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Toronto's ability to absorb early setbacks and respond has defined their whole run. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the hurt leadoff man who left the third game after tweaking his right side.

Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what the Blue Jays required. Traded for during the summer while completing recovery from elbow surgery, the former award-winning winner left several runners and quieted the Dodgers' dangerous batting order. He gave up one earned run on four base hits and three free passes before Schneider called on rookie pitcher Mason Fluharty to confront the core of the order in the sixth inning. Fluharty needed just four throws to retire Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a narrow advantage that soon became comfortable.

Converted starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' offense continued to struggle. The Dodgers have produced only 3 runs over their previous 20 innings, an abrupt downturn for a club that was among MLB's elite offenses all season.

Closing Innings

The Los Angeles scraped a run in the ninth inning when Edman hit into an out to bring home Hernández after a walk and Muncy's two-base hit put runners on base. But Louis Varland finished the game without allowing a comeback to develop.

Following a game when the Blue Jays left a World Series-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after repeated of missed opportunities, the fourth contest was brutally effective. 6 separate Blue Jays recorded base hits, five drove in runs and the squad converted nearly every run-scoring chance available in the late innings.

Looking Ahead

The win ensures the World Series trophy will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not won a title since Carter's famous walk-off homer in '93. They now know they are assured a packed crowd in Toronto on Friday evening – and possibly the next day – no matter what occurs next in LA.

The fifth game approaches with the matchup even and momentum swinging north. Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Toronto's surge. Toronto respond with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Toronto knocked out Snell early in an 11-4 win.