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Less than a day after enduring one of the most exhausting losses in Fall Classic annals, the Blue Jays displayed complete control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber provided a composed start as the Blue Jays beat the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, squaring the World Series at two games each and ensuring the series will return to Canada.

Toronto had spent the morning of Tuesday dealing with their marathon third game defeat – equal to the lengthiest Fall Classic game ever – a loss that cost them the opportunity to lead the matchup and depleted both relief corps. Manager Schneider insisted later that “the Dodgers won a contest, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his team provided emphatic evidence.

Initial Innings

The Los Angeles again scored first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, moved up on a base hit and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial score did not shake a Blue Jays team that led Major League Baseball with 49 comeback victories this year.

They answered right away in the third inning. Lukes lined a one-out base hit to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate looking for a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani threw a slider up and Guerrero drove it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his initial extra-base hit of the World Series and his seventh home run this playoffs – a new team mark – restoring the Blue Jays's lead after 13 scoreless innings and changing the tone of the night.

Shohei's Performance

That hit also ended Shohei Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 straight plate appearances getting on base. The dual-threat star had smashed two homers and reached safely a historic nine times in the Dodgers' third game walk-off. But on Tuesday, he started on limited rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the previous marathon.

Ohtani fastball velocity sat below his seasonal norm and he labored more as the game progressed. Nonetheless, he displayed glimpses of his usual command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and fanning six. He even walked in the first to continue his World Series streak. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six hits and four runs were credited to him in six-plus frames.

Late Game Rally

The larger issue for the Dodgers was what followed when he finally ran out of steam.

Varsho started the seventh with a clean single to right, and Clement smashed a double off the wall to put two on with none out. Roberts had no option but to remove Ohtani, who departed to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Dodgers' bullpen could not complete the inning.

Anthony Banda inherited the mess and immediately fell behind. 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 game. Treinen came in next but also was unable to stop the rally: Bo Bichette and Barger hit run-scoring base hits through the diamond, capping a four-run barrage that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Toronto's ability to absorb initial blows and respond has defined their whole run. They once again succeeded without Springer, the injured leadoff hitter who exited the third game after straining his oblique.

Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what the Blue Jays required. Acquired during the summer while finishing rehab from elbow surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner left multiple runners and quieted the Los Angeles' dangerous batting order. He gave up one run on four hits and three free passes before the manager summoned first-year pitcher Fluharty to face the heart of the order in the sixth. Fluharty required just four pitches to retire Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a narrow lead that quickly grew safe.

Converted starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' bats continued to sputter. Los Angeles have scored only 3 runs over their last 20 innings, an sudden slowdown for a team that ranked among MLB's elite offenses all year.

Closing Innings

The Los Angeles scraped a score in the ninth inning when Edman grounded out to bring home Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's two-base hit put runners aboard. But Louis Varland finished the game without permitting a rally to develop.

After a game when the Blue Jays left a World Series-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after wave upon wave of wasted opportunities, Game 4 was brutally effective. Six separate Toronto players recorded base hits, 5 drove in runs and the squad cashed almost every scoring chance presented in the late stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The win guarantees the championship trophy will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not celebrated a championship since Joe Carter's famous walk-off home run in 1993. They now know they are assured a packed house in Toronto on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what happens next in LA.

Game 5 approaches with the series even and energy shifting north. Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Blue Jays's momentum. The Blue Jays counter with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Blue Jays chased the starter early in an decisive win.