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Only 24 hours after staggering through one of the most exhausting losses in Fall Classic history, the Toronto Blue Jays played with complete command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run home run and Bieber delivered a steady start as Toronto beat the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, tying the World Series at two games each and guaranteeing the matchup will return to Canada.

The Blue Jays had passed the early hours of Tuesday dealing with their 18-inning third game defeat – equal to the lengthiest Fall Classic contest ever – a loss that cost them the opportunity to lead the series and depleted both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider stated later that “they took a contest, not the World Series”. A day later, his squad provided convincing proof.

Early Innings

The Los Angeles again struck first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second, moved up on a single and scored on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early score did not shake a Blue Jays club that topped Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind victories this year.

They responded immediately in the third inning. Nathan Lukes hit a one-out single to centre and Guerrero came to the plate looking for a breaking ball. Ohtani threw a slider up and he drove it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his first extra-base hit of the World Series and his seventh home run this postseason – a new club record – restoring the Toronto's lead after 13 shutout innings and shifting the tone of the game.

Ohtani's Performance

That swing also ended Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 consecutive plate appearances getting on base. The two-way phenomenon had smashed two homers and reached safely a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 walk-off. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on short rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the previous extra-inning game.

Ohtani pitch speed was 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's homer and fanning six. He even walked in the first to extend his Fall Classic streak. But the Toronto made him work: six hits and four earned runs were credited to him in six-plus innings.

Late Game Surge

The bigger issue for the Dodgers was what came next when Ohtani finally lost steam.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh with a sharp single to right field, and Ernie Clement drilled a double off the wall to put runners on with none out. Dave Roberts had little choice but to pull Ohtani, who exited to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not finish the inning.

Anthony Banda came into the jam and right away trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez fought to a full count before scoring the runner with a single to left field. France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock Banda out of the contest. Treinen came in next but also was unable to stop the rally: Bichette and Addison Barger punched RBI singles through the diamond, capping a four-score outburst that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Toronto's capacity to withstand initial setbacks and respond has defined their whole run. They once again did it without Springer, the hurt leadoff hitter who left the third game after tweaking his right side.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was everything Toronto needed. Traded for during the summer while finishing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the ex- award-winning winner stranded several baserunners and quieted the Los Angeles' potent batting order. He allowed one run on four hits and three walks before Schneider called on first-year left-hander Mason Fluharty to face the heart of the order in the sixth inning. Fluharty required just 4 pitches to get out Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a narrow lead that soon became safe.

Former starting pitcher Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' bats continued to struggle. Los Angeles have produced only 3 runs over their last 20 frames, an abrupt downturn for a team that was among MLB's elite lineups all season.

Closing Innings

The Dodgers scraped a score in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman hit into an out to score Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's two-base hit put runners on base. But Louis Varland closed it down without permitting a comeback to build.

Following a night when Toronto stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and collapsed after wave upon wave of missed opportunities, the fourth contest was brutally effective. Six separate Blue Jays collected hits, 5 brought home runs and the team cashed almost every run-scoring chance presented in the final innings.

Next Up

The win guarantees the World Series trophy will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not celebrated a championship since Carter's famous walk-off home run in '93. They now know they are guaranteed a packed house in Toronto on Friday evening – and possibly the next day – no matter what occurs next in LA.

The fifth game approaches with the matchup reset and momentum shifting to Toronto. Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Toronto's momentum. Toronto respond with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Blue Jays knocked out Snell early in an 11-4 victory.