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

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run homer and Bieber delivered a steady outing as the Blue Jays defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, squaring the World Series at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Canada.

The Blue Jays had passed the early hours of the next day processing their 18-inning Game 3 loss – tied for the longest Fall Classic contest ever – a loss that cost them the chance to lead the series and depleted both relief corps. Skipper Schneider stated afterwards that “the Dodgers won a contest, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his team provided emphatic proof.

Initial Action

The Los Angeles again struck first. Max Muncy walked in the second, advanced on a single and scored on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial breakthrough did not rattle a Blue Jays team that topped Major League Baseball with 49 comeback wins this year.

They responded right away in the third inning. Lukes lined a one away base hit to center field and Guerrero stepped in looking for a curveball. Shohei Ohtani threw a slider up and he sent it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his first long hit of the World Series and his 7th home run this playoffs – a new team record – regaining the Toronto's advantage after 13 scoreless frames and shifting the momentum of the game.

Ohtani's Performance

That swing also halted Ohtani's history-making run of 11 straight plate appearances reaching base. The two-way star had smashed two home runs and reached safely a record nine times in the Los Angeles' third game walk-off. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on short rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the previous extra-inning game.

Ohtani fastball velocity sat below his regular-season norm and he labored more as the contest wore on. Nonetheless, he displayed flashes of his typical command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and fanning six. He even walked in the first inning to continue his Fall Classic record. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six hits and four runs were charged to him in six-plus innings.

Seventh Inning Surge

The bigger issue for Los Angeles was what followed when he finally ran out of steam.

Daulton Varsho started the seventh inning with a sharp single to right field, and Clement smashed a double off the wall to put runners on with none out. Dave Roberts had no option but to remove the starter, who departed to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Dodgers' relief corps could not complete the escape.

Anthony Banda inherited 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. Ty France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove the pitcher out of the contest. Blake Treinen entered next but also failed to stop the rally: Bichette and Addison Barger punched RBI singles through the infield, capping a four-run barrage that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Toronto's capacity to withstand early setbacks and answer has defined their entire run. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the injured top-of-the-order man who left the third game after straining his right side.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was everything the Blue Jays needed. Acquired mid-season while finishing rehab from elbow surgery, the former award-winning winner left several runners and silenced the Dodgers' potent lineup. He allowed one earned run on four base hits and three free passes before Schneider called on rookie left-hander Mason Fluharty to face the core of the order in the sixth inning. He required just 4 throws to get out Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a fragile advantage that quickly grew comfortable.

Former starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' offense continued to struggle. Los Angeles have scored only 3 scores over their previous 20 frames, an sudden slowdown for a team that was among MLB's top offenses all season.

Closing Moments

The Los Angeles scraped a score in the ninth inning when Edman hit into an out to score Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Muncy's double put two on base. But Varland closed it down without permitting a rally to build.

Following a night when Toronto stranded a World Series-record 19 runners and collapsed after wave upon wave of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was ruthlessly efficient. Six separate Toronto players collected base hits, five drove in runs and the squad converted nearly every run-scoring chance available in the final stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The win ensures the World Series trophy will be presented at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a title since Joe Carter's famous walk-off home run in 1993. They now are aware they are assured a packed crowd in Canada on Friday night – and perhaps the next day – no matter what happens next in LA.

Game 5 looms with the matchup even and energy swinging to Toronto. Los Angeles pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Toronto's momentum. Toronto counter with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Blue Jays chased Snell early in an 11-4 win.