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Only 24 hours after staggering through one of the most exhausting losses in Fall Classic history, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed total command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber provided a composed start as Toronto defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, squaring the World Series at two games each and guaranteeing the series will head back to Toronto.

Toronto had passed the early hours of Tuesday dealing with their marathon third game defeat – tied for the lengthiest World Series contest ever – a loss that denied them the chance to take the lead in the matchup and burned through both relief corps. Manager Schneider insisted afterwards that “the Dodgers won a contest, not the championship”. A day later, his squad provided emphatic proof.

Early Action

The Los Angeles again struck first. Max Muncy walked in the second inning, advanced on a base hit and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the initial score did not rattle a Blue Jays club that topped Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind wins this season.

They answered right away in the third. Lukes hit a one-out base hit to centre and Guerrero came to the plate hunting a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani left a sweeper up and Guerrero drove it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his initial long hit of the World Series and his 7th home run this playoffs – a fresh team mark – restoring the Toronto's advantage after 13 scoreless frames and shifting the momentum of the game.

Shohei's Performance

That swing also ended Shohei Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 consecutive at-bats reaching base. The two-way phenomenon had smashed two home runs and got on base a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 comeback win. But on that night, he started on short rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the previous marathon.

His pitch speed sat under his seasonal average and he struggled more as the game progressed. Nonetheless, he displayed glimpses of his usual control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to extend his World Series record. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six base hits and four runs were charged to him in six-plus innings.

Seventh Inning Rally

The bigger issue for Los Angeles was what followed when he finally lost energy.

Varsho started the seventh with a sharp single to right, and Ernie 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 standing ovation from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not finish the escape.

Anthony Banda inherited the mess and right away trailed in the count. Giménez fought to a full count before scoring the runner with a single to left. France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock the pitcher out of the game. Blake Treinen entered next but also failed to stop the rally: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger hit RBI singles through the infield, completing a four-score outburst that extended the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Blue Jays's capacity to absorb initial blows and answer has defined their entire postseason. They once again succeeded without Springer, the injured leadoff man who left the third game after tweaking his oblique.

Bieber, in contrast, was everything Toronto needed. Traded for mid-season while finishing recovery from elbow surgery, the former award-winning winner stranded several runners and quieted the Los Angeles' potent lineup. He allowed one run on four base hits and three free passes before the manager called on first-year pitcher Mason Fluharty to face the core of the order in the sixth inning. Fluharty required just four throws to retire Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a narrow lead that quickly grew safe.

Converted starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' offense kept to sputter. Los Angeles have produced only three runs over their last 20 frames, an abrupt slowdown for a club that ranked among baseball's top offenses all season.

Closing Innings

The Dodgers managed a score in the ninth when Edman hit into an out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's two-base hit put two aboard. But Varland closed it down without allowing a rally to develop.

Following a game when the Blue Jays left a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after repeated of missed opportunities, Game 4 was ruthlessly efficient. 6 different Blue Jays recorded base hits, 5 drove in runs and the squad cashed almost every run-scoring opportunity available in the late stanzas.

Next Up

The victory ensures the World Series title will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a title since Joe Carter's iconic walk-off homer in '93. They now are aware they are guaranteed a full crowd in Canada on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what happens next in LA.

The fifth game looms with the matchup even and momentum swinging north. Los Angeles left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Blue Jays's surge. Toronto counter with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Toronto chased Snell quickly in an 11-4 win.