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Less than a day after enduring one of the most draining losses in World Series annals, the Blue Jays played with complete command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber provided a composed outing as Toronto defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, squaring the Fall Classic at two games each and ensuring the matchup will return to Canada.

Toronto had passed the early hours of Tuesday dealing with their marathon third game defeat – equal to the longest Fall Classic contest ever – a loss that denied them the opportunity to take the lead in the series and depleted both bullpens. Skipper John Schneider insisted afterwards that “they won a game, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his team provided emphatic evidence.

Early Innings

The Dodgers again scored first. Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, advanced on a single and crossed the plate on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial breakthrough did not rattle a Toronto team that topped MLB with 49 come-from-behind victories this season.

They answered right away in the third. Lukes hit a one away single to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate hunting a curveball. Shohei 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 advantage after 13 shutout innings and shifting the momentum of the game.

Ohtani's Performance

That hit also halted Shohei Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 straight at-bats getting on base. The two-way star had hit two homers and reached safely a record nine times in the Los Angeles' third game walk-off. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on short rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the prior marathon.

His fastball velocity sat below his regular-season norm and he labored more as the contest wore on. Even so, he showed flashes of his usual control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first to extend his World Series record. But the Blue Jays made him work: six hits and four earned runs were credited to him in six-plus frames.

Seventh Inning Surge

The bigger problem for the Dodgers was what came next when Ohtani eventually ran out of energy.

Daulton Varsho started the seventh inning with a clean single to right, and Clement drilled a two-base hit off the wall to put two on with none out. Roberts had no option but to pull the starter, who departed to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not complete the escape.

Banda came into the mess and right away fell behind. Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before scoring the runner with a single to left. France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove the pitcher out of the game. Blake Treinen came in next but also failed to stem the rally: Bo Bichette and Barger hit run-scoring base hits through the infield, capping a four-score barrage that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Blue Jays's capacity to withstand early blows and answer has defined their whole postseason. They once again did it without Springer, the hurt leadoff man who exited Game 3 after tweaking his right side.

Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what the Blue Jays required. Traded for during the summer while finishing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner left several baserunners and quieted the Dodgers' potent batting order. He allowed one earned run on four hits and three walks before the manager called on first-year pitcher Fluharty to confront the core of the order in the sixth inning. Fluharty required just 4 throws to get out Muncy and Edman, protecting a fragile advantage that quickly grew comfortable.

Converted starter Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' bats continued to sputter. Los Angeles have produced only three scores over their last 20 innings, an abrupt downturn for a club that was among baseball's elite lineups all season.

Final Innings

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

After a night when Toronto stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and collapsed after wave upon wave of missed chances, Game 4 was brutally effective. Six different Blue Jays recorded hits, 5 brought home scores and the team cashed nearly every run-scoring opportunity presented in the late stanzas.

Next Up

The victory ensures the championship trophy will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a championship since Carter's iconic walk-off homer in '93. They now are aware they are guaranteed a full house in Toronto on Friday night – and possibly the next day – no matter what happens next in LA.

Game 5 approaches with the matchup reset and momentum shifting north. Los Angeles left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Toronto's surge. Toronto respond with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Toronto chased the starter quickly in an decisive win.