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Only 24 hours following enduring one of the most exhausting 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 Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, squaring the Fall Classic at two games each and guaranteeing the series will return to Toronto.

Toronto had spent the early hours of Tuesday processing their marathon third game defeat – equal to the longest Fall Classic game ever – a defeat that denied them the chance to take the lead in the series and depleted both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider stated later that “they won a game, not the championship”. A day later, his squad offered convincing proof.

Initial Innings

The Los Angeles again struck first. Max Muncy walked in the second, moved up on a single and crossed the plate on Hernández's fly out. But the initial score did not shake a Blue Jays club that topped MLB with 49 come-from-behind wins this year.

They answered immediately in the third. Lukes hit a one-out base hit to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in hunting a curveball. Ohtani threw a slider up and Guerrero drove it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his first long hit of the World Series and his seventh homer this playoffs – a new club record – regaining the Toronto's lead after 13 shutout frames and shifting the momentum of the night.

Ohtani's Performance

That swing also halted Shohei Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 straight at-bats reaching base. The two-way phenomenon had smashed two home runs and got on base a historic nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 comeback win. But on that night, he took the mound on limited rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the previous extra-inning game.

His pitch speed sat under his seasonal average and he struggled more as the contest progressed. Nonetheless, he showed flashes of his typical control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to extend his World Series record. But the Toronto made him work: six hits and four runs were charged to him in over six innings.

Late Game Rally

The bigger issue for the Dodgers was what followed when Ohtani eventually ran out of energy.

Daulton Varsho started the seventh with a clean hit to right field, and Clement smashed a double off the fence to put two on with no outs. Dave Roberts had little choice but to remove Ohtani, who exited to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Dodgers' bullpen could not finish the inning.

Anthony Banda inherited the jam and right away trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez fought to a full count before driving in Varsho with a single to left. Ty France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock the pitcher out of the contest. Blake Treinen came in next but also failed to stem the momentum: Bichette and Barger punched run-scoring singles through the diamond, capping a four-score barrage that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Toronto's capacity to withstand early blows and answer has characterized their entire run. They once again succeeded without Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order hitter who left the third game after straining his oblique.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what the Blue Jays required. Traded for mid-season while completing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner stranded several baserunners and silenced the Dodgers' potent lineup. He allowed one run on four hits and three walks before the manager called on first-year left-hander Fluharty to confront the heart of the order in the sixth inning. Fluharty needed just four throws to get out Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a fragile lead that soon became comfortable.

Former starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' offense continued to sputter. Los Angeles have produced only three runs over their previous 20 innings, an sudden slowdown for a club that was among baseball's elite lineups all season.

Final Innings

The Los Angeles scraped a run in the ninth inning when Edman grounded out to bring home Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's double put two aboard. But Louis Varland closed it down without permitting a comeback to build.

Following a night when Toronto left a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and collapsed after wave upon wave of missed opportunities, Game 4 was brutally efficient. 6 separate Blue Jays recorded hits, five drove in runs and the squad cashed nearly every run-scoring opportunity available in the final innings.

Next Up

The victory guarantees the World Series trophy will be presented at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not celebrated a title since Carter's famous walk-off homer in '93. They now know they are guaranteed a full crowd in Canada on Friday night – and possibly Saturday – no matter what happens next in LA.

The fifth game approaches with the matchup reset and momentum shifting north. Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Toronto's surge. Toronto respond with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Blue Jays knocked out Snell quickly in an 11-4 victory.