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Less than a day after staggering through one of the most draining defeats in World Series history, the Blue Jays played with complete control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run home run and Bieber provided a steady start as the Blue Jays beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, squaring the World Series at two games each and guaranteeing the series will head back to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had passed the early hours of the next day processing their 18-inning Game 3 loss – tied for the lengthiest Fall Classic contest ever – a defeat that cost them the opportunity to take the lead in the matchup and depleted both bullpens. Skipper Schneider stated afterwards that “the Dodgers won a contest, not the World Series”. A day later, his team provided convincing proof.

Initial Innings

The Dodgers again struck first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, moved up on a single and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the early score did not shake a Toronto team that topped MLB with 49 come-from-behind wins this season.

They answered immediately in the third. Lukes hit a one-out single to centre and Guerrero stepped in hunting a breaking ball. Ohtani left a sweeper up and he sent it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his first extra-base hit of the World Series and his 7th home run this postseason – a new club record – restoring the Toronto's advantage after 13 scoreless innings and changing the momentum of the game.

Shohei's Night

That swing also halted Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 straight at-bats reaching base. The dual-threat star had hit two home runs and reached safely a historic nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 walk-off. But on that night, he started on short rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the prior marathon.

Ohtani pitch speed sat under his seasonal average and he labored more as the contest progressed. Even so, he showed flashes of his usual command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and striking out six. He even walked in the first to extend his World Series streak. But the Blue Jays made him work: six hits and four runs were charged to him in six-plus frames.

Seventh Inning Surge

The bigger problem for Los Angeles was what followed when he eventually lost energy.

Daulton Varsho started the seventh inning 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 standing ovation from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not complete the inning.

Anthony Banda came into the mess and immediately fell behind. Andrés Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before driving in Varsho with a base hit to left field. France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock Banda out of the contest. Blake Treinen entered next but also failed to stop the momentum: Bo Bichette and Barger punched RBI singles through the diamond, capping a four-run barrage that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Toronto's capacity to withstand initial blows and respond has defined their entire run. They once again succeeded without Springer, the hurt leadoff man who left Game 3 after tweaking his oblique.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was everything the Blue Jays required. Traded for mid-season while finishing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the former award-winning winner left several baserunners and silenced the Los Angeles' dangerous lineup. He allowed one run on four hits and three walks before Schneider summoned rookie pitcher Mason Fluharty to confront the heart of the lineup in the sixth inning. He needed just 4 pitches to retire Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a fragile lead that quickly became comfortable.

Converted starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' offense continued to struggle. The Dodgers have produced only 3 scores over their last 20 innings, an abrupt downturn for a team that ranked among MLB's top offenses all year.

Final Innings

The Los Angeles managed a run in the ninth when Tommy Edman grounded out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's two-base hit put runners aboard. But Varland finished the game without permitting a rally to build.

Following a game when Toronto left a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and collapsed after wave upon wave of missed chances, the fourth contest was ruthlessly effective. Six different Toronto players collected hits, 5 brought home runs and the team cashed nearly every run-scoring opportunity presented in the late innings.

Looking Ahead

The victory ensures the World Series trophy will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not celebrated a championship since Joe Carter's famous game-winning homer in '93. They now are aware they are guaranteed a full crowd in Toronto on Friday evening – and possibly the next day – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 approaches with the matchup even and energy swinging north. Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Blue Jays's surge. The Blue Jays respond with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Blue Jays chased Snell early in an 11-4 victory.