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Less than a day after enduring one of the most exhausting losses in Fall Classic annals, the Blue Jays played with complete command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber provided a composed outing as the Blue Jays beat the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, tying the World Series at two games each and ensuring the matchup will return to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had spent the morning of the next day processing their 18-inning Game 3 loss – equal to the longest Fall Classic contest ever – a loss that denied them the chance to lead the series and burned through both bullpens. Skipper John Schneider stated afterwards that “they won a contest, not the World Series”. A day later, his team provided emphatic evidence.

Early Action

The Los Angeles again struck first. Muncy drew a walk in the second, moved up on a single and scored on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early score did not shake a Toronto club that led MLB with 49 comeback wins this season.

They responded right away in the third inning. Nathan Lukes hit a one away single to center field and Guerrero stepped in looking for a curveball. Ohtani threw a slider up and he sent it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his first extra-base hit of the World Series and his seventh home run this playoffs – a new club record – restoring the Blue Jays's lead after 13 shutout innings and shifting the tone of the game.

Shohei's Night

That hit also halted Shohei Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 straight plate appearances reaching base. The two-way phenomenon had smashed two home runs and got on base a historic nine times in the Dodgers' third game comeback win. But on that night, he took the mound on limited rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the previous extra-inning game.

Ohtani pitch speed sat under his regular-season average and he labored more as the game wore on. Nonetheless, he showed flashes of his typical control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and striking out six. He even walked in the first to continue 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 larger issue for Los Angeles was what followed when he finally ran out of energy.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh with a sharp single to right field, and Clement smashed a double off the fence to put two on with none out. Roberts had little choice but to remove the starter, who exited to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Dodgers' relief corps could not complete the escape.

Banda came into the jam and immediately fell behind. Giménez fought to a full count before scoring Varsho with a base hit to left. France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove the pitcher out of the game. Blake Treinen entered next but also was unable to stop the momentum: Bichette and Addison Barger hit RBI singles through the diamond, completing a four-score outburst that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Blue Jays's ability to absorb initial blows and respond has characterized their entire run. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the injured leadoff man who left Game 3 after tweaking his right side.

Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what the Blue Jays needed. Traded for mid-season while finishing rehab from elbow surgery, the ex- award-winning winner stranded several baserunners and quieted the Dodgers' dangerous batting order. He gave up one earned run on four base hits and three walks before the manager summoned rookie left-hander Fluharty to confront the core of the order in the sixth inning. He needed just four throws to retire Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a fragile advantage that soon grew safe.

Former starter Chris Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' bats kept to sputter. Los Angeles have scored only three scores over their last 20 frames, an sudden downturn for a team that ranked among baseball's elite offenses all season.

Final Innings

The Dodgers scraped a score in the ninth when Tommy Edman grounded out to score Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's two-base hit put two on base. But Louis Varland closed it down without allowing a rally to build.

After a night when Toronto left a World Series-record 19 runners and collapsed after wave upon wave of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was brutally efficient. 6 different Blue Jays collected base hits, 5 drove in runs and the squad converted nearly every run-scoring chance available in the final innings.

Next Up

The win guarantees the World Series trophy will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not celebrated a title since Joe Carter's famous game-winning home run in 1993. They now are aware they are guaranteed a full crowd in Toronto on Friday night – and perhaps the next day – no matter what occurs next in LA.

The fifth game approaches with the series even and energy shifting north. Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Blue Jays's momentum. Toronto counter with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Blue Jays chased the starter early in an decisive win.