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Only 24 hours following staggering through one of the most exhausting losses in World Series annals, the Blue Jays played with total command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber provided a composed start as the Blue Jays beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, squaring the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the series will head back to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had passed the early hours of Tuesday dealing with their marathon third game defeat – equal to the longest World Series game ever – a defeat that denied them the chance to take the lead in the matchup and depleted both bullpens. Skipper John Schneider insisted later that “they took a contest, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad offered emphatic proof.

Initial Innings

The Los Angeles again scored first. Max Muncy walked in the second, moved up on a base hit and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the initial score did not shake a Toronto team that led MLB with 49 comeback victories this year.

They answered immediately in the third inning. Lukes lined a one away single to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate hunting a curveball. Ohtani left a sweeper up and he sent it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his first extra-base hit of the series and his seventh home run this postseason – a fresh team mark – restoring the Toronto's advantage after 13 scoreless innings and changing the momentum of the game.

Shohei's Performance

That swing also ended Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 straight at-bats getting on base. The dual-threat star had hit two homers and reached safely a historic nine times in the Dodgers' third game walk-off. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on limited rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the prior extra-inning game.

His pitch speed sat under his seasonal average and he labored more as the contest progressed. Even so, he showed flashes of his usual control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first to extend his Fall Classic streak. But the Toronto made him work: six base hits and four earned runs were charged to him in over six innings.

Seventh Inning Rally

The bigger issue for Los Angeles was what followed when he eventually lost steam.

Daulton Varsho started the seventh with a clean hit to right field, and Ernie Clement smashed a double off the fence to put runners on with no outs. Roberts had no option but to remove Ohtani, who exited to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not complete the escape.

Anthony Banda inherited the mess and right away fell behind. Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before scoring Varsho with a single to left field. Ty France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock Banda out of the contest. Treinen entered next but also failed to stem the rally: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger punched run-scoring base hits through the infield, capping a four-score outburst that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Blue Jays's ability to absorb initial setbacks and answer has defined their entire postseason. They once again succeeded without Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order hitter who left the third game after tweaking his right side.

Bieber, meanwhile, was everything Toronto needed. Acquired mid-season while completing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the former award-winning winner left several baserunners and silenced the Dodgers' dangerous batting order. He gave up one run on four hits and three walks before Schneider summoned first-year left-hander Mason Fluharty to confront the heart of the order in the sixth inning. Fluharty needed just 4 pitches to retire Max Muncy and Edman, protecting a narrow advantage that quickly grew comfortable.

Converted starter Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' offense continued to sputter. Los Angeles have produced only 3 scores over their previous 20 frames, an abrupt downturn for a team that ranked among baseball's elite offenses all year.

Closing Moments

The Dodgers scraped a run in the ninth when Tommy Edman hit into an out to bring home Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's double put runners on base. But Varland finished the game without permitting a rally to build.

Following a game when the Blue Jays stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after repeated of missed opportunities, Game 4 was brutally effective. Six separate Toronto players collected base hits, 5 drove in scores and the team cashed nearly every scoring chance presented in the late innings.

Looking Ahead

The victory guarantees the championship trophy will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not won a championship since Joe Carter's iconic walk-off homer in '93. They now know they are assured a full house in Canada on Friday night – and possibly the next day – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 looms with the series even and momentum swinging north. Los Angeles left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Blue Jays's surge. The Blue Jays counter with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Toronto chased the starter early in an decisive victory.