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Only 24 hours after enduring one of the most draining defeats in Fall Classic history, the Toronto Blue Jays played with total command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber delivered a steady outing as Toronto beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, squaring the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and ensuring the matchup will head back to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had passed the morning of Tuesday processing their marathon Game 3 loss – tied for the lengthiest World Series game ever – a defeat that denied them the opportunity to take the lead in the matchup and depleted both bullpens. Manager John Schneider insisted later that “the Dodgers took a contest, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad offered emphatic proof.

Initial Innings

The Los Angeles again scored first. Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, moved up on a single and crossed the plate on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early breakthrough did not rattle a Blue Jays team that topped Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind victories this season.

They answered right away in the third. Lukes lined a one away single to center field and Guerrero came to the plate looking for a curveball. Ohtani threw a slider up and he drove it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his first extra-base hit of the series and his seventh home run this postseason – a new club mark – restoring the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 shutout frames and changing the tone of the game.

Shohei's Performance

That hit also halted Shohei Ohtani's history-making run of 11 consecutive plate appearances getting on base. The two-way star had smashed two homers and reached safely a historic nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 walk-off. But on that night, he took the mound on short rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the prior marathon.

His fastball velocity was below his seasonal norm and he struggled more as the contest progressed. Nonetheless, he showed glimpses of his typical control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and fanning six. He even walked in the first inning to continue his Fall Classic record. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six base hits and four runs were charged to him in six-plus innings.

Seventh Inning Surge

The larger issue for Los Angeles was what followed when Ohtani eventually lost steam.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh with a sharp single to right, and Clement smashed a two-base hit off the wall to put runners on with no outs. Roberts had no option but to remove Ohtani, who exited to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not complete the escape.

Anthony Banda came into the jam and right away fell behind. Andrés Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before scoring the runner with a single to left field. France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove the pitcher out of the game. Blake Treinen came in next but also was unable to stop the rally: Bichette and Addison Barger hit run-scoring singles through the infield, completing a four-score outburst that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Blue Jays's capacity to absorb early setbacks and respond has characterized their entire postseason. They once again did it without George Springer, the injured leadoff man who left the third game after tweaking his oblique.

Bieber, meanwhile, was everything the Blue Jays required. Traded for mid-season while finishing recovery from elbow surgery, the former Cy Young winner left multiple baserunners and quieted the Dodgers' dangerous lineup. He allowed one run on four base hits and three walks before Schneider summoned rookie pitcher Fluharty to face the core of the lineup in the sixth inning. Fluharty needed just 4 throws to retire Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a narrow advantage that soon grew safe.

Former starter Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' bats continued to sputter. Los Angeles have produced only 3 scores over their previous 20 innings, an sudden slowdown for a club that was among MLB's top lineups all year.

Closing Innings

The Los Angeles managed a score in the ninth when Edman hit into an out to score Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Muncy's two-base hit put two aboard. But Louis Varland closed it down without permitting a comeback to build.

After a night when the Blue Jays left a World Series-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after repeated of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was brutally effective. Six separate Blue Jays recorded hits, five brought home runs and the team converted almost every scoring opportunity presented in the final innings.

Looking Ahead

The win ensures the World Series trophy will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a title since Joe Carter's iconic walk-off home run in 1993. They now know they are guaranteed a full house in Toronto on Friday evening – and possibly Saturday – no matter what happens next in LA.

Game 5 approaches with the series even and energy shifting to Toronto. Los Angeles left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Toronto's surge. The Blue Jays counter with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Blue Jays chased Snell quickly in an 11-4 win.