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Less than a day following enduring one of the most exhausting defeats in World Series history, the Toronto Blue Jays played with total command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber delivered a steady outing as the Blue Jays defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, tying the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the series will return to Toronto.

Toronto had passed the early hours of Tuesday processing their 18-inning third game defeat – tied for the lengthiest Fall Classic contest ever – a loss that denied them the chance to take the lead in the matchup and burned through both bullpens. Manager John Schneider stated later that “the Dodgers won a game, not the championship”. A day later, his squad provided emphatic proof.

Initial Innings

The Dodgers again scored first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, advanced on a single and scored on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early score did not rattle a Toronto team that led MLB with 49 come-from-behind victories this year.

They answered right away in the third inning. Nathan Lukes hit a one away base hit to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate hunting a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani threw a sweeper up and Guerrero drove it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his initial long hit of the series and his seventh homer this postseason – a fresh club mark – regaining the Blue Jays's lead after 13 scoreless frames and changing the tone of the night.

Ohtani's Performance

That hit also halted Shohei Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 consecutive at-bats reaching base. The two-way phenomenon had hit two homers and reached safely a record nine times in the Dodgers' third game comeback win. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on limited rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the previous marathon.

Ohtani pitch speed sat under his regular-season average and he labored more as the contest progressed. Even so, he displayed glimpses of his typical command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and striking out six. He even walked in the first to continue his Fall Classic record. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six base hits and four earned runs were charged to him in six-plus frames.

Late Game Surge

The larger issue for Los Angeles was what followed when he eventually lost energy.

Varsho started the seventh with a clean single to right field, and Ernie Clement drilled a double off the fence to put two on with no outs. Roberts had little choice but to pull the starter, who departed to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not complete the escape.

Banda came into the mess and immediately fell behind. Andrés Giménez fought to a full count before driving in Varsho with a base hit to left field. France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock the pitcher out of the contest. Treinen came in next but also was unable to stop the momentum: Bichette and Barger hit RBI singles through the infield, capping a four-score barrage that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Toronto's capacity to absorb initial setbacks and answer has characterized their entire run. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order hitter who left the third game after straining his oblique.

Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what the Blue Jays required. Traded for mid-season while completing recovery from elbow surgery, the former Cy Young winner stranded multiple baserunners and quieted the Dodgers' dangerous batting order. He gave up one run on four hits and three walks before the manager summoned rookie left-hander Mason Fluharty to confront the core of the lineup in the sixth. He needed just 4 throws to get out Max Muncy and Edman, preserving a fragile advantage that soon grew comfortable.

Converted starting pitcher Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' bats continued to struggle. Los Angeles have scored only three runs over their last 20 frames, an abrupt slowdown for a team that was among baseball's top lineups all season.

Final Innings

The Dodgers scraped a run in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman hit into an out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's double put two on base. But Varland finished the game without allowing a comeback to develop.

Following a night when the Blue Jays left a World Series-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after repeated of wasted chances, the fourth contest was ruthlessly efficient. 6 different Toronto players recorded hits, 5 drove in scores and the squad converted almost every run-scoring opportunity presented in the final innings.

Looking Ahead

The win ensures the World Series title will be presented at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not celebrated a championship since Carter's iconic walk-off home run in 1993. They now are aware they are assured a full house in Canada on Friday night – and perhaps the next day – no matter what occurs next in LA.

Game 5 approaches with the series even and energy shifting to Toronto. Dodgers left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Blue Jays's momentum. The Blue Jays respond with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Blue Jays knocked out Snell quickly in an 11-4 victory.