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Only 24 hours following enduring one of the most exhausting losses in World Series annals, the Blue Jays played with total control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run homer and Bieber provided a composed outing as Toronto defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, tying the World Series at two games each and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Toronto.

Toronto had spent the early hours of the next day dealing with their 18-inning third game defeat – tied for the longest Fall Classic game ever – a defeat that cost them the chance to take the lead in the series and depleted both bullpens. Manager John Schneider stated later that “the Dodgers took a contest, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his team provided emphatic proof.

Initial Innings

The Los Angeles again scored first. Muncy walked in the second, moved up on a base hit and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early score did not rattle a Blue Jays club that topped Major League Baseball with 49 comeback wins this season.

They answered right away in the third inning. Lukes hit a one-out single to centre and Guerrero came to the plate looking for a curveball. Shohei Ohtani left a slider up and Guerrero sent it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his first extra-base hit of the World Series and his 7th home run this postseason – a new club mark – restoring the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 shutout innings and shifting the momentum of the game.

Shohei's Performance

That swing also halted Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 straight plate appearances reaching base. The dual-threat phenomenon had hit two homers and got on base a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' third game walk-off. But on that night, he started on limited rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the prior extra-inning game.

His fastball velocity was below his regular-season average and he struggled more as the game progressed. Nonetheless, he showed glimpses of his typical control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and striking out six. He even walked in the first to extend his Fall Classic streak. But the Blue Jays made him work: six hits and four earned runs were credited to him in six-plus frames.

Late Game Rally

The bigger issue for the Dodgers was what followed when Ohtani finally ran out of steam.

Varsho started the seventh inning with a clean hit to right, and Clement drilled a double off the fence to put two on with no outs. Roberts had little choice but to pull the starter, who exited to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not finish the escape.

Banda came into the mess and immediately trailed in the count. Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before scoring Varsho with a single to left field. Ty 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 contest. Blake Treinen came in next but also failed to stem the rally: Bichette and Addison Barger punched run-scoring singles through the infield, capping a four-score barrage that extended the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Toronto's capacity to withstand early setbacks and respond has characterized their entire postseason. They once again did it without George Springer, the injured leadoff man who exited the third game after tweaking his right side.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was everything the Blue Jays needed. Acquired mid-season while finishing recovery from elbow surgery, the ex- award-winning winner stranded multiple runners and quieted the Dodgers' potent lineup. He gave up one earned run on four base hits and three walks before Schneider summoned rookie pitcher Mason Fluharty to confront the core of the lineup in the sixth. Fluharty needed just four pitches to retire Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a fragile advantage that soon became comfortable.

Converted starting pitcher Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' bats kept to sputter. The Dodgers have produced only 3 scores over their previous 20 innings, an abrupt downturn for a team that was among baseball's top offenses all season.

Final Moments

The Los Angeles managed a run in the ninth inning when Edman hit into an out to score Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's double put runners aboard. But Louis Varland finished the game without allowing a rally to develop.

After a game when Toronto stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after wave upon wave of missed chances, Game 4 was ruthlessly efficient. 6 separate Blue Jays collected hits, 5 drove in scores and the squad converted nearly every scoring chance available in the final innings.

Next Up

The win ensures the championship trophy will be presented at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not celebrated a title since Carter's famous game-winning homer in 1993. They now are aware they are guaranteed a full house in Toronto on Friday evening – and perhaps the next day – no matter what happens next in LA.

The fifth game looms with the series reset and energy shifting to Toronto. Los Angeles left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Blue Jays's momentum. The Blue Jays respond with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Toronto chased Snell early in an 11-4 victory.