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Less than a day after enduring one of the most exhausting losses in Fall Classic history, the Toronto Blue Jays played with total command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run homer and Bieber provided a composed start as Toronto defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, squaring the World Series at two games each and guaranteeing the series will return to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had spent the early hours of the next day dealing with their marathon third game defeat – tied for the longest Fall Classic contest ever – a defeat that cost them the chance to take the lead in the matchup and burned through both bullpens. Skipper Schneider insisted afterwards that “they took a contest, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad provided emphatic evidence.

Early Action

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

They answered right away in the third. Nathan Lukes hit a one away single to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate looking for a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani threw a slider up and Guerrero drove it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his first extra-base hit of the series and his seventh homer this playoffs – a fresh club mark – restoring the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 scoreless frames and shifting the momentum of the night.

Shohei's Performance

That hit also ended Shohei Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 consecutive at-bats reaching base. The dual-threat star had hit two home runs and reached safely a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' third game comeback win. But on that night, he took the mound on limited rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the previous extra-inning game.

His pitch speed was below his regular-season average and he struggled more as the contest wore on. Nonetheless, he showed glimpses of his typical command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and fanning six. He even walked in the first inning to continue his Fall Classic streak. But the Blue Jays made him work: six base hits and four runs were credited to him in six-plus frames.

Seventh Inning Surge

The larger problem for the Dodgers was what followed when Ohtani eventually ran out of steam.

Daulton Varsho started the seventh with a sharp hit to right, and Ernie Clement drilled a two-base hit off the fence to put two on with no outs. Dave Roberts had little choice but to remove Ohtani, who departed to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Dodgers' relief corps could not finish the escape.

Banda inherited the mess and right away trailed in the count. Giménez fought to a full count before driving in 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 Banda out of the game. Treinen entered next but also failed to stop the rally: Bichette and Barger punched RBI singles through the infield, capping a four-run barrage that extended the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Blue Jays's capacity to absorb initial setbacks and respond has defined their whole postseason. They once again did it without Springer, the hurt leadoff man who exited the third game after straining his right side.

Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what Toronto required. Acquired mid-season while finishing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner stranded multiple baserunners and silenced the Los Angeles' potent lineup. He gave up one earned run on four base hits and three free passes before Schneider called on first-year pitcher Mason Fluharty to confront the heart of the lineup in the sixth. He required just 4 pitches to retire Muncy and Edman, preserving a fragile advantage that soon grew comfortable.

Former starter Chris Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' offense kept to sputter. The Dodgers have scored only three scores over their last 20 frames, an abrupt downturn for a team that ranked among MLB's top lineups all season.

Closing Innings

The Dodgers scraped a score in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman hit into an out to score Hernández after a walk and Muncy's two-base hit put runners on base. But Louis Varland closed it down without allowing a comeback to build.

After a night when Toronto left a World Series-record 19 runners and collapsed after repeated of wasted chances, Game 4 was ruthlessly effective. 6 different Blue Jays collected hits, 5 brought home scores and the team cashed almost every run-scoring chance presented in the final stanzas.

Next Up

The victory ensures the championship title will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not won a title since Carter's iconic walk-off home run in 1993. They now are aware they are assured a full crowd in Toronto on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game looms with the series even and energy swinging to Toronto. Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Toronto's surge. Toronto respond with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Blue Jays chased the starter quickly in an decisive win.