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

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run homer and Bieber provided a steady start as the Blue Jays defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, tying the World Series at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the series will return to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had spent the morning of the next day processing their 18-inning Game 3 loss – tied for the lengthiest World Series game ever – a loss that cost them the opportunity to take the lead in the series and burned through both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider insisted afterwards that “they won a game, not the championship”. A day later, his team provided convincing proof.

Initial Innings

The Los Angeles again scored first. Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, moved up on a base hit and crossed the plate on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial breakthrough did not shake a Blue Jays team that led Major League Baseball with 49 comeback wins this season.

They answered right away in the third inning. Nathan Lukes hit a one away base hit to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in hunting a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani threw a slider up and he sent it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his first long hit of the World Series and his 7th home run this postseason – a fresh team record – regaining the Toronto's lead after 13 scoreless frames and shifting the tone of the game.

Shohei's Night

That swing also ended Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 consecutive plate appearances reaching base. The dual-threat phenomenon had smashed two homers and got on base a record nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 comeback win. But on Tuesday, he started on short rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the prior extra-inning game.

Ohtani pitch speed was under his seasonal norm and he labored more as the contest progressed. Nonetheless, he showed flashes of his typical control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and striking out six. He even walked in the first inning to extend his Fall Classic streak. But the Blue Jays made him work: six hits and four runs were charged to him in over six innings.

Late Game Rally

The larger issue for Los Angeles was what followed when Ohtani eventually ran out of steam.

Varsho started the seventh with a clean hit to right field, and Clement drilled a two-base hit off the fence to put runners on with no outs. Dave Roberts had no option but to pull Ohtani, who departed to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Dodgers' bullpen could not complete the inning.

Banda inherited the mess and right away trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez battled to a full count before driving in the runner with a base hit to left. Ty France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock Banda out of the contest. Blake Treinen came in next but also failed to stop the rally: Bichette and Barger hit RBI singles through the diamond, capping a four-score outburst that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Toronto's capacity to absorb initial blows and respond has defined their entire run. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order man who left the third game after tweaking his right side.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what Toronto needed. Acquired during the summer while completing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the former award-winning winner stranded several runners and quieted the Los Angeles' potent batting order. He gave up one earned run on four hits and three free passes before Schneider called on rookie pitcher Mason Fluharty to confront the heart of the lineup in the sixth. He required just 4 throws to retire Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a narrow advantage that quickly became comfortable.

Converted starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' bats continued to sputter. The Dodgers have produced only three runs over their last 20 innings, an sudden downturn for a team that was among baseball's top lineups all season.

Final Innings

The Dodgers managed a run in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman grounded out to score Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's two-base hit put two on base. But Varland finished the game without permitting a rally to develop.

Following a night when Toronto stranded a World Series-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after wave upon wave of missed opportunities, the fourth contest was ruthlessly efficient. 6 different Toronto players recorded base hits, five brought home scores and the team converted almost every scoring chance available in the late stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The victory guarantees the World Series trophy will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not won a championship since Joe Carter's iconic walk-off home run in '93. They now are aware they are guaranteed a packed house in Toronto on Friday evening – and perhaps the next day – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 approaches with the matchup reset and energy shifting north. Los Angeles left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Blue Jays's surge. The Blue Jays respond with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Toronto chased the starter quickly in an decisive win.