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Less than a day following staggering through one of the most draining defeats in Fall Classic history, the Blue Jays displayed total control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run home run and Bieber delivered a steady start as Toronto beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, squaring the World Series at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the matchup will return to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had spent the early hours of the next day dealing with their 18-inning Game 3 loss – equal to the lengthiest World Series contest ever – a defeat that denied them the opportunity to lead the matchup and depleted both relief corps. Manager Schneider insisted later that “the Dodgers won a game, not the championship”. A day later, his team offered convincing proof.

Initial Innings

The Dodgers again scored first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second, moved up on a base hit and scored on Hernández's fly out. But the initial breakthrough did not rattle a Blue Jays club that topped MLB with 49 comeback victories this season.

They answered right away in the third. Lukes lined a one away single to centre and Guerrero stepped in hunting a curveball. Ohtani left 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 home run this playoffs – a new club record – restoring the Blue Jays's lead after 13 scoreless frames and changing the momentum of the night.

Shohei's Performance

That swing also halted Shohei Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 straight plate appearances getting on base. The dual-threat star had hit two homers and got on base a record nine times in the Los Angeles' third game walk-off. But on that night, he took the mound on short rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the prior marathon.

His pitch speed sat below his regular-season norm and he struggled more as the contest wore on. Even so, he displayed flashes of his typical control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to extend his World Series record. But the Toronto made him work: six hits and four earned runs were charged to him in six-plus frames.

Seventh Inning Rally

The larger problem for the Dodgers was what came next when Ohtani eventually lost steam.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh inning with a clean hit to right field, and Clement drilled a double off the fence to put runners on with no outs. Roberts had little choice but to pull the starter, who exited to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not complete the escape.

Anthony Banda inherited the mess and immediately trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before scoring Varsho with a single to left. France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock the pitcher out of the contest. Treinen came in next but also failed to stem the momentum: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger hit RBI singles through the diamond, completing a four-score outburst that extended the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Blue Jays's ability to withstand initial blows and answer has defined their whole postseason. They once again did it without George Springer, the injured top-of-the-order hitter who exited the third game after tweaking his oblique.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what Toronto required. Acquired during the summer while completing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the ex- award-winning winner left several baserunners and silenced the Los Angeles' dangerous lineup. He allowed one run on four hits and three walks before the manager summoned first-year pitcher Mason Fluharty to face the core of the order in the sixth inning. Fluharty needed just four throws to retire Max Muncy and Edman, preserving a fragile advantage that soon grew safe.

Former starter Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' offense continued to struggle. The Dodgers have produced only three runs over their last 20 frames, an abrupt downturn for a team that ranked among baseball's top lineups all season.

Closing Moments

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

After a night when the Blue Jays left a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after wave upon wave of wasted chances, the fourth contest was brutally effective. Six separate Blue Jays collected base hits, 5 brought home runs and the squad converted nearly every scoring chance presented in the late stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The victory guarantees the World Series title will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not won a championship since Carter's famous walk-off homer in 1993. They now are aware they are guaranteed a packed crowd in Toronto on Friday evening – and possibly the next day – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game approaches with the series even and energy shifting to Toronto. Los Angeles pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Toronto's momentum. The Blue Jays respond with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Toronto chased the starter early in an decisive win.