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Less than a day following enduring one of the most exhausting defeats in Fall Classic history, the Blue Jays played with complete command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber delivered a composed outing as the Blue Jays defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, squaring the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the series will head back to Canada.

The Blue Jays had spent the morning of the next day processing their marathon third game defeat – tied for the longest Fall Classic game ever – a defeat that cost them the chance to take the lead in the matchup and burned through both relief corps. Manager John Schneider insisted afterwards that “they took a game, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad offered convincing evidence.

Early Action

The Los Angeles again struck first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second, advanced on a single and scored on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early breakthrough did not rattle a Blue Jays club that topped MLB with 49 comeback victories this season.

They responded right away in the third inning. Lukes lined a one away single to centre and Guerrero stepped in looking for a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani threw a sweeper up and Guerrero drove it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his first extra-base hit of the series and his seventh homer this postseason – a new team mark – regaining the Toronto's lead after 13 shutout frames and shifting the tone of the game.

Shohei's Night

That hit also ended Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 straight at-bats reaching base. The dual-threat star had hit two homers and reached safely a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' third game comeback win. But on that night, he started on short rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the prior marathon.

Ohtani fastball velocity was under his regular-season norm and he labored more as the game wore on. Nonetheless, he displayed flashes of his typical control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first to extend his World Series streak. But the Toronto made him work: six base hits and four runs were charged to him in over six innings.

Seventh Inning Surge

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

Varsho opened the seventh with a sharp single to right field, and Clement smashed a double off the fence to put two on with none out. Dave Roberts had no option but to remove Ohtani, who exited to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Dodgers' relief corps could not finish the escape.

Anthony Banda inherited the mess and right away trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before driving in the runner with a single to left. France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock Banda out of the contest. Treinen came in next but also was unable to stop the momentum: Bichette and Barger punched RBI singles through the infield, capping a four-run outburst that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Toronto's ability to absorb initial setbacks and answer has defined their entire postseason. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the hurt leadoff man who left the third game after tweaking his right side.

Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what Toronto needed. Acquired mid-season while completing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the ex- award-winning winner stranded several runners and quieted the Dodgers' dangerous lineup. He allowed one earned run on four base hits and three free passes before the manager summoned first-year left-hander Fluharty to confront the core of the order in the sixth inning. Fluharty needed just four throws to retire Max Muncy and Edman, protecting a narrow advantage that soon grew safe.

Converted starter Chris Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' bats continued to struggle. The Dodgers have produced only 3 scores over their last 20 frames, an sudden slowdown for a club that ranked among baseball's top offenses all season.

Closing Innings

The Dodgers scraped a run in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman hit into an out to bring home Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's double put runners aboard. But Varland closed it down without allowing a comeback to build.

After a night when Toronto left a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after repeated of wasted chances, the fourth contest was ruthlessly effective. Six different Blue Jays recorded hits, five brought home runs and the team cashed nearly every run-scoring chance presented in the final innings.

Next Up

The victory guarantees the World Series trophy will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not celebrated a championship since Carter's famous walk-off homer in 1993. They now are aware they are assured a packed house in Canada on Friday evening – and possibly the next day – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game approaches with the series even and energy swinging 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 rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Blue Jays knocked out Snell early in an decisive victory.