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Only 24 hours after staggering through one of the most exhausting defeats in Fall Classic annals, the Blue Jays played with complete command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber delivered a steady outing as the Blue Jays beat the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, squaring the World Series at two games each and ensuring the series will head back to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had spent the morning of the next day processing their 18-inning third game defeat – tied for the longest Fall Classic contest ever – a loss that denied them the chance to lead the matchup and depleted both relief corps. Skipper Schneider insisted later that “they took a game, not the World Series”. A day later, his squad offered emphatic proof.

Initial Innings

The Los Angeles again scored first. Muncy walked in the second, moved up on a single and crossed the plate on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early score did not rattle a Toronto club that led MLB with 49 come-from-behind wins this year.

They answered right away in the third inning. Nathan Lukes lined a one away base hit to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in looking for a breaking ball. Ohtani left a sweeper up and Guerrero sent it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his first long hit of the series and his 7th home run this playoffs – a new club mark – restoring the Toronto's lead after 13 shutout frames and shifting the momentum of the game.

Shohei's Performance

That hit also ended Shohei Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 consecutive plate appearances reaching base. The dual-threat star had hit two homers and got on base a record nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 walk-off. But on that night, he took the mound on short rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the previous marathon.

His fastball velocity was under his regular-season average and he labored more as the game progressed. Nonetheless, he displayed glimpses of his usual control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first to extend his Fall Classic record. But the Blue Jays made him work: six base hits and four runs were charged to him in six-plus frames.

Seventh Inning Rally

The bigger issue for Los Angeles was what came next when Ohtani eventually lost steam.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh inning with a clean single to right field, and Clement smashed a two-base hit off the fence to put runners on with no outs. Roberts had little choice but to pull the starter, who departed to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not finish the inning.

Anthony Banda came into the mess and immediately fell behind. Andrés Giménez fought to a full count before scoring the runner with a single to left. Ty France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove the pitcher out of the game. Treinen entered next but also was unable to stop the momentum: Bichette and Addison Barger punched run-scoring base hits through the infield, completing a four-run outburst that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Blue Jays's capacity to absorb early blows and respond has defined their whole run. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the hurt leadoff man who exited the third game after straining his right side.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was everything Toronto required. Traded for during the summer while completing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the former Cy Young winner stranded multiple runners and silenced the Los Angeles' dangerous lineup. He gave up one run on four hits and three walks before Schneider called on first-year pitcher Mason Fluharty to confront the core of the lineup in the sixth inning. Fluharty needed just four throws to retire Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a fragile lead that soon became comfortable.

Former starter Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' bats continued to sputter. The Dodgers have scored only 3 scores over their last 20 frames, an abrupt downturn for a club that ranked among MLB's top offenses all season.

Closing Innings

The Los Angeles managed a score in the ninth when Edman grounded out to score Hernández after a walk and Muncy's double put runners aboard. But Louis Varland closed it down without permitting a comeback to develop.

After a game when Toronto left a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and collapsed after repeated of missed opportunities, the fourth contest was brutally efficient. 6 different Toronto players collected base hits, 5 drove in scores and the team converted almost every run-scoring chance available in the final innings.

Looking Ahead

The win guarantees the World Series trophy will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not won a title since Joe Carter's iconic game-winning homer in '93. They now know they are guaranteed a full crowd in Toronto on Friday evening – and perhaps the next day – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game looms with the series even and energy swinging north. Los Angeles left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Blue Jays's momentum. The Blue Jays respond with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Toronto chased Snell early in an 11-4 victory.