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

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber provided a composed outing as the Blue Jays beat the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, tying the Fall Classic 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 dealing with their 18-inning third game defeat – equal to the longest World Series contest ever – a loss that cost them the opportunity to lead the matchup and burned through both bullpens. Skipper Schneider insisted later that “they took a game, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad provided emphatic evidence.

Initial Innings

The Los Angeles again struck first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, advanced on a base hit and crossed the plate on Hernández's fly out. But the early breakthrough did not rattle a Toronto club that led MLB with 49 come-from-behind wins this year.

They answered immediately in the third. Lukes hit a one-out single to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in looking for a breaking ball. Ohtani threw a sweeper up and he drove it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his initial extra-base hit of the series and his seventh home run this postseason – a fresh team record – regaining the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 shutout innings and shifting the tone of the game.

Shohei's Performance

That swing also ended Shohei Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 straight plate appearances reaching base. The two-way star had smashed two home runs and reached safely a historic nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 comeback win. But on that night, he started on short rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the prior marathon.

His pitch speed was below his seasonal norm and he struggled more as the game wore on. Nonetheless, he displayed glimpses of his usual command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and striking out six. He even walked in the first to extend his Fall Classic streak. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six hits and four runs were credited to him in over six innings.

Late Game Surge

The larger problem for Los Angeles was what followed when Ohtani finally lost energy.

Daulton Varsho started the seventh inning with a sharp hit to right, and Clement smashed a double off the fence to put runners on with none out. Roberts had no option but to remove Ohtani, who exited to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Dodgers' bullpen could not finish the escape.

Anthony Banda came into the mess and immediately trailed in the count. Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before driving in the runner with a base hit to left. Ty France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove Banda out of the contest. Treinen entered next but also was unable to stop the rally: Bichette and Addison Barger punched run-scoring singles through the diamond, capping a four-score outburst that extended the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Toronto's capacity to absorb initial blows and answer has characterized their entire postseason. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the injured leadoff man who left Game 3 after tweaking his oblique.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was everything Toronto required. Traded for during the summer while finishing rehab from elbow surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner stranded several runners and silenced the Los Angeles' dangerous lineup. He allowed one earned run on four base hits and three free passes before Schneider summoned rookie pitcher Fluharty to confront the heart of the lineup in the sixth inning. He needed just 4 pitches to retire Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a fragile lead that soon became comfortable.

Former starter Chris Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' bats kept to struggle. The Dodgers have produced only 3 runs over their last 20 frames, an sudden downturn for a team that was among MLB's elite offenses all year.

Final Moments

The Dodgers scraped a score in the ninth inning when Edman hit into an out to score Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's two-base hit put runners aboard. But Varland finished the game without permitting a rally to develop.

After a game when Toronto stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and collapsed after wave upon wave of wasted chances, the fourth contest was brutally effective. 6 separate Toronto players recorded hits, 5 drove in scores and the team converted almost every scoring opportunity available in the final innings.

Looking Ahead

The win guarantees the World Series title will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not celebrated a title since Carter's iconic walk-off homer in 1993. They now know they are assured a packed crowd in Canada on Friday evening – and possibly Saturday – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game looms with the matchup even and momentum shifting to Toronto. Los Angeles pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Blue Jays's surge. Toronto respond with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Blue Jays chased the starter quickly in an decisive win.