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Less than a day after enduring one of the most exhausting defeats in Fall Classic annals, the Blue Jays played with total control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber delivered a composed outing as Toronto beat the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, tying the World Series at two wins apiece and ensuring the series will return to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had spent the morning of the next day processing their 18-inning third game defeat – equal to the lengthiest World Series game ever – a loss that denied them the opportunity to lead the matchup and burned through both bullpens. Manager John Schneider stated afterwards that “they took a game, not the World Series”. A day later, his squad offered convincing evidence.

Initial Innings

The Los Angeles again scored first. Muncy walked in the second inning, moved up on a single and scored on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early breakthrough did not shake a Toronto club that topped Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind victories this year.

They responded immediately in the third. Lukes lined a one away base hit to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in hunting a curveball. Ohtani left a sweeper up and Guerrero sent it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his initial extra-base hit of the World Series and his seventh home run this playoffs – a new club record – regaining the Toronto's lead after 13 shutout innings and changing the momentum of the night.

Shohei's Performance

That hit also halted Shohei Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 consecutive plate appearances reaching base. The two-way phenomenon had hit two homers and reached safely a record nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 comeback win. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on limited rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the prior extra-inning game.

His pitch speed was under his seasonal norm and he labored more as the game progressed. Even so, he showed flashes of his usual control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and fanning six. He even walked in the first to continue his Fall Classic record. But the Blue Jays made him work: six hits and four runs were credited to him in over six innings.

Late Game Surge

The bigger issue 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 wall to put two on with none out. Dave Roberts had little choice but to remove the starter, who departed to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Dodgers' relief corps could not complete the inning.

Banda inherited the jam and immediately fell behind. Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before driving in Varsho 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 the pitcher out of the game. Blake Treinen entered next but also was unable to stem the momentum: Bichette and Barger punched RBI singles through the infield, completing a four-score outburst that extended the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Blue Jays's capacity to absorb initial setbacks and answer has characterized their entire postseason. They once again did it without Springer, the injured top-of-the-order hitter who exited Game 3 after straining his oblique.

Bieber, in contrast, was everything the Blue Jays needed. Acquired mid-season while completing recovery from elbow surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner stranded multiple runners and silenced the Dodgers' potent batting order. He allowed one earned run on four hits and three free passes before the manager summoned first-year left-hander Mason Fluharty to confront the core of the order in the sixth inning. He needed just four pitches to get out Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a narrow lead that quickly grew comfortable.

Former starter Chris Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' bats continued to sputter. The Dodgers have produced only three runs over their previous 20 innings, an sudden slowdown for a club that ranked among MLB's elite lineups all year.

Closing Moments

The Dodgers managed a score in the ninth when Edman hit into an out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's two-base hit put runners on base. But Varland closed it down without permitting a rally to develop.

After a night when Toronto stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and fell apart after repeated of missed chances, Game 4 was brutally efficient. 6 different Toronto players collected base hits, 5 brought home scores and the squad converted almost every scoring chance available in the late innings.

Looking Ahead

The win ensures the championship title will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not celebrated a championship since Carter's iconic game-winning home run in '93. They now know they are assured a full house in Canada on Friday night – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game approaches with the matchup reset and momentum shifting north. Los Angeles pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Toronto's momentum. The Blue Jays counter with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Blue Jays knocked out Snell early in an decisive victory.