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Less than a day after staggering through one of the most draining losses in Fall Classic annals, the Blue Jays displayed total command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber delivered a steady start as the Blue Jays beat the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, squaring the World Series at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had passed the morning of the next day processing their 18-inning Game 3 loss – tied for the lengthiest Fall Classic contest ever – a loss that denied them the opportunity to take the lead in the matchup and burned through both bullpens. Skipper John Schneider insisted later that “they won a contest, not the championship”. A day later, his squad provided convincing evidence.

Initial Innings

The Los Angeles again scored first. Max Muncy walked in the second, advanced on a single and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the early score did not shake a Blue Jays club that topped Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind wins this year.

They responded immediately in the third inning. Nathan Lukes lined a one away base hit to center field and Guerrero came to the plate hunting a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani left a sweeper up and he drove it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his initial long hit of the World Series and his 7th homer this playoffs – a fresh club mark – regaining the Toronto's advantage after 13 scoreless frames and changing the momentum of the game.

Shohei's Night

That swing also halted Ohtani's history-making run of 11 consecutive at-bats reaching base. The dual-threat phenomenon had hit two homers and got on base a historic nine times in the Dodgers' third game comeback win. But on Tuesday, he started on limited rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the prior marathon.

His pitch speed sat below his regular-season average and he labored more as the contest wore on. Nonetheless, he showed glimpses of his typical control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to extend his Fall Classic streak. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six hits and four earned runs were credited to him in over six frames.

Late Game Rally

The bigger problem for the Dodgers was what came next when he finally lost steam.

Varsho started the seventh with a sharp single to right field, and Clement drilled a two-base hit off the wall to put runners on with none out. Roberts had little choice but to remove the starter, who departed to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Dodgers' bullpen could not complete the inning.

Banda inherited the mess and right away trailed in the count. Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before scoring Varsho with a base hit to left field. Ty France came up next 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 was unable to stem the momentum: Bichette and Addison Barger punched run-scoring singles through the diamond, capping a four-run barrage that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Toronto's capacity to withstand early blows and respond has characterized their whole run. They once again did it without Springer, the injured top-of-the-order hitter who exited Game 3 after straining his oblique.

Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what Toronto needed. Acquired mid-season while finishing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the former award-winning winner stranded several baserunners and silenced the Los Angeles' potent lineup. He gave up one earned run on four base hits and three walks before Schneider summoned rookie pitcher Mason Fluharty to confront the heart of the order in the sixth. Fluharty needed just 4 throws to get out Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a narrow advantage that soon became safe.

Former starter Chris Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' offense continued to struggle. The Dodgers have produced only three scores over their last 20 frames, an sudden slowdown for a team that was among baseball's elite offenses all season.

Final Moments

The Los Angeles managed a run in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman hit into an out to score Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's double put runners aboard. But Varland closed it down without permitting a comeback to build.

After a game when the Blue Jays left a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and fell apart after repeated of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was ruthlessly efficient. Six separate Blue Jays recorded base hits, five brought home runs and the team converted nearly every run-scoring chance available in the final innings.

Looking Ahead

The win ensures the World Series trophy will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not won a championship since Joe Carter's iconic game-winning homer in 1993. They now know they are guaranteed a full house in Canada on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what occurs next in LA.

Game 5 approaches with the matchup even and momentum shifting to Toronto. Dodgers left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Toronto's surge. Toronto respond with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Blue Jays chased Snell early in an 11-4 victory.