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Less than a day after enduring one of the most draining losses in World Series history, the Blue Jays played with total control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run home run and Bieber delivered a steady start as the Blue Jays defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, squaring the World Series at two games each and ensuring the series will head back to Toronto.

Toronto 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 cost them the opportunity to take the lead in the series and depleted both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider insisted afterwards that “the Dodgers took a contest, not the World Series”. A day later, his squad provided emphatic proof.

Initial Innings

The Dodgers again scored first. Muncy drew a walk in the second, advanced on a single and scored on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial breakthrough did not rattle a Blue Jays club that led Major League Baseball with 49 comeback wins this season.

They answered immediately in the third. Lukes hit a one away base hit to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate hunting a curveball. Shohei Ohtani left a sweeper up and Guerrero sent 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 record – regaining the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 scoreless innings 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 phenomenon had smashed two homers and got on base a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 walk-off. But on that night, he took the mound on short rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the previous extra-inning game.

Ohtani fastball velocity sat under his regular-season norm and he labored more as the contest wore on. Nonetheless, he showed flashes of his typical command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and fanning six. He even walked in the first to extend his World Series streak. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six base hits and four earned runs were charged to him in six-plus frames.

Late Game Surge

The larger problem for the Dodgers was what came next when Ohtani eventually lost energy.

Daulton Varsho started the seventh with a clean single to right field, and Clement drilled a two-base hit off the fence to put two on with no outs. Roberts had little choice but to pull Ohtani, who exited to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not finish the inning.

Banda came into the mess and right away trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before driving in Varsho with a base hit to left field. Ty France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock the pitcher out of the contest. Treinen came in next but also failed to stem the momentum: Bo Bichette and Barger hit run-scoring base hits through the diamond, capping a four-score outburst that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Blue Jays's ability to absorb early setbacks and answer has characterized their entire postseason. They once again did it without George Springer, the injured top-of-the-order man who exited Game 3 after straining his right side.

Bieber, in contrast, was everything Toronto required. Acquired during the summer while finishing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the ex- award-winning winner left several baserunners and silenced the Los Angeles' potent lineup. He allowed one run on four hits and three walks before Schneider summoned rookie left-hander Fluharty to confront the heart of the order in the sixth. He required just 4 throws to get out Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a narrow advantage that quickly grew comfortable.

Former starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' bats continued to sputter. Los Angeles have scored only three scores over their last 20 innings, an abrupt downturn for a club that was among baseball's elite lineups all season.

Final Innings

The Dodgers scraped a score in the ninth inning when Edman hit into an out to bring home Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's double put runners aboard. But Varland closed it down without permitting a rally to develop.

Following a game when Toronto stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after wave upon wave of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was ruthlessly effective. Six different Toronto players recorded base hits, five brought home runs and the team converted almost every run-scoring opportunity presented in the final stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The victory ensures the championship trophy will be presented at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not won a championship since Joe Carter's famous walk-off homer in '93. They now know they are guaranteed a full house in Toronto on Friday night – and possibly Saturday – no matter what happens next in LA.

The fifth game looms with the series reset and energy swinging to Toronto. Los Angeles left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Blue Jays's surge. The Blue Jays counter with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Blue Jays chased Snell quickly in an 11-4 victory.