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Only 24 hours after staggering through one of the most draining losses in World Series history, the Toronto Blue Jays played with total command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber delivered a steady start as Toronto defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, squaring the Fall Classic at two games each and ensuring the matchup will head back to Canada.

The Blue Jays had passed the morning of the next day dealing with their marathon third game defeat – tied for the longest World Series contest ever – a loss that denied them the chance to take the lead in the series and depleted both bullpens. Manager John Schneider insisted afterwards that “the Dodgers won a contest, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his team offered emphatic proof.

Early Innings

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

They answered right away in the third inning. Nathan Lukes hit a one away base hit to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate hunting a breaking ball. Ohtani threw a slider up and Guerrero sent it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his first extra-base hit of the World Series and his 7th homer this playoffs – a fresh club record – regaining the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 shutout innings and changing the tone of the game.

Shohei's Night

That swing also halted Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 consecutive at-bats getting on base. The dual-threat star had smashed two home runs and reached safely a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 walk-off. But on that night, he started on limited rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the previous marathon.

His fastball velocity was below his seasonal 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 Jr's blast and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first to continue his Fall Classic record. But the Toronto made him work: six base hits and four earned runs were credited to him in six-plus frames.

Seventh Inning Surge

The larger problem for Los Angeles was what came next when he eventually ran out of energy.

Daulton Varsho started the seventh with a sharp single to right, and Clement drilled a two-base hit off the fence to put runners on with none out. Dave Roberts had little choice but to pull the starter, who exited to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Dodgers' bullpen could not complete the escape.

Banda came into the jam and immediately fell behind. Giménez battled to a full count before scoring the runner with a base hit to left. France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove Banda out of the game. Blake Treinen came in next but also failed to stop the rally: Bichette and Barger punched RBI base hits through the diamond, completing a four-run outburst that extended the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Toronto's ability to withstand early setbacks and respond has defined their whole run. They once again succeeded without Springer, the hurt leadoff hitter who left Game 3 after straining his right side.

Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what Toronto required. Traded for mid-season while finishing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the former Cy Young winner stranded multiple baserunners and quieted the Dodgers' potent batting order. He gave up one run on four hits and three walks before Schneider summoned first-year left-hander Fluharty to face the core of the lineup in the sixth. He needed just 4 pitches to get out Max Muncy and Edman, preserving a narrow advantage that quickly grew safe.

Former starting pitcher Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' bats kept to sputter. The Dodgers have scored only three runs over their previous 20 innings, an sudden downturn for a club that ranked among MLB's elite lineups all season.

Closing Moments

The Dodgers scraped a score in the ninth when Edman hit into an out to score Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's two-base hit put runners aboard. But Varland finished the game without allowing a rally to build.

Following a night when the Blue Jays left a World Series-record 19 runners and fell apart after repeated of missed chances, the fourth contest was brutally effective. 6 separate Blue Jays recorded base hits, 5 brought home scores and the squad converted nearly every run-scoring chance presented in the late stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The victory guarantees the World Series title will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not won a championship since Joe Carter's iconic game-winning home run in '93. They now are aware they are assured a packed house in Toronto on Friday evening – and possibly the next day – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 approaches with the matchup even and energy shifting to Toronto. Dodgers left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Toronto's momentum. The Blue Jays counter with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Toronto knocked out the starter quickly in an decisive win.