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Only 24 hours after enduring one of the most draining defeats in World Series history, the Blue Jays played with total control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber delivered a steady outing as Toronto beat the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, squaring the World Series at two games each and ensuring the matchup will return to Canada.

The Blue Jays had passed the early hours of Tuesday processing their marathon third game defeat – tied for the longest Fall Classic game ever – a loss that cost them the opportunity to take the lead in the series and depleted both bullpens. Skipper Schneider insisted later that “they won a contest, not the World Series”. A day later, his squad offered convincing proof.

Early Innings

The Dodgers again struck first. Muncy drew a walk in the second, moved up on a base hit and scored on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early breakthrough did not rattle a Blue Jays team that led MLB with 49 come-from-behind wins this year.

They answered right away in the third inning. Nathan Lukes lined a one-out single to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in looking for a curveball. Ohtani left a slider up and he drove it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his first long hit of the series and his seventh homer this playoffs – a fresh club record – restoring the Toronto's advantage after 13 shutout innings and changing the tone of the game.

Ohtani's Night

That hit also ended Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 consecutive plate appearances getting on base. The two-way phenomenon had smashed two homers and got on base a record nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 comeback win. But on that night, he started on short rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the previous marathon.

Ohtani pitch speed sat under his regular-season norm and he labored more as the contest wore on. Nonetheless, he showed glimpses of his usual command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and fanning six. He even walked in the first inning to extend his World Series record. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six hits and four earned runs were charged to him in over six frames.

Late Game Surge

The larger problem for Los Angeles was what came next when Ohtani finally lost energy.

Daulton Varsho started the seventh inning with a clean hit to right field, and Clement drilled a double off the wall to put two on with none out. Roberts had no option but to remove the starter, who departed to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not complete the inning.

Banda inherited the mess and right away trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez fought to a full count before scoring Varsho with a single to left. Ty France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove the pitcher out of the game. Blake Treinen came in next but also was unable to stop the rally: Bichette and Barger hit RBI singles through the infield, completing a four-score outburst that extended the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Toronto's capacity to absorb initial blows and answer has defined their whole run. They once again did it without George Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order man who exited the third game after straining his right side.

Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what the Blue Jays needed. Traded for mid-season while completing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the former award-winning winner left several baserunners and silenced the Los Angeles' dangerous lineup. He allowed one earned 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. Fluharty required just four pitches to get out Max Muncy and Edman, protecting a narrow lead that quickly grew safe.

Converted starter Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' bats kept to sputter. The Dodgers have scored only three scores over their previous 20 frames, an sudden downturn for a team that was among MLB's elite offenses all year.

Closing Moments

The Los Angeles managed a score in the ninth inning when Edman hit into an out to score Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's two-base hit put runners on base. But Varland finished the game without permitting a comeback to build.

Following a night when the Blue Jays left a World Series-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after repeated of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was ruthlessly efficient. Six different Toronto players collected base hits, 5 brought home runs and the squad converted nearly every scoring opportunity available in the late stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The victory guarantees the championship title will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a title since Joe Carter's iconic game-winning homer in '93. They now know they are assured a packed crowd in Canada on Friday night – and possibly Saturday – no matter what happens next in LA.

Game 5 looms with the matchup even and energy swinging to Toronto. Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Blue Jays's momentum. The Blue Jays respond with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Blue Jays knocked out Snell early in an 11-4 win.