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Only 24 hours after enduring one of the most draining defeats in World Series history, the Toronto Blue Jays played with total control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run home run and Bieber delivered a composed start as Toronto defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, squaring the Fall Classic at two games each and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Canada.

The Blue Jays had spent 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 opportunity to take the lead in the matchup and burned through both bullpens. Manager John Schneider insisted later that “they took a contest, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his team offered emphatic proof.

Early Innings

The Los Angeles again struck first. Max Muncy walked in the second inning, advanced on a base hit and scored on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial score did not rattle a Toronto club that topped MLB with 49 comeback victories this year.

They answered immediately in the third inning. Nathan Lukes hit a one-out single to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate hunting a curveball. Ohtani threw a slider up and Guerrero sent 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 fresh team record – regaining the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 scoreless frames and shifting the tone of the game.

Shohei's Performance

That swing also ended Ohtani's history-making run of 11 straight at-bats getting on base. The dual-threat star had smashed two home runs and got on base a record nine times in the Dodgers' third game comeback win. But on that night, he took the mound on short rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the previous marathon.

Ohtani fastball velocity sat under his regular-season average and he labored more as the contest wore on. Nonetheless, he displayed glimpses of his typical command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and fanning six. He even walked in the first to continue his World Series record. But the Toronto made him work: six base hits and four runs were credited to him in six-plus innings.

Late Game Surge

The larger issue for the Dodgers was what followed when he finally ran out of steam.

Varsho started the seventh with a clean hit to right, and Ernie Clement drilled a two-base hit off the wall to put runners on with no outs. Dave Roberts had no option but to pull the starter, who exited to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Dodgers' relief corps could not complete the escape.

Anthony Banda came into the jam and immediately trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before driving in Varsho with a single to left. France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove Banda out of the contest. Treinen entered next but also was unable to stem the rally: Bichette and Barger punched RBI singles through the infield, capping a four-score barrage that extended the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Blue Jays's capacity to absorb initial setbacks and respond has characterized their entire postseason. They once again did it without George Springer, the injured leadoff man who left Game 3 after tweaking his oblique.

Bieber, in contrast, was everything the Blue Jays required. Acquired mid-season while finishing recovery from elbow surgery, the ex- award-winning winner stranded several baserunners and silenced the Los Angeles' dangerous batting order. He allowed one earned run on four base hits and three free passes before Schneider summoned rookie left-hander Fluharty to confront the core of the lineup in the sixth inning. Fluharty required just 4 throws to get out Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a fragile advantage that quickly grew safe.

Converted starter Chris Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' bats continued to struggle. Los Angeles have produced only three runs over their previous 20 innings, an abrupt downturn for a club that was among MLB's top lineups all year.

Final Innings

The Dodgers managed a run in the ninth inning when Edman grounded out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Muncy's double put two on base. But Louis Varland finished the game without permitting a comeback to develop.

Following a night when Toronto stranded a World Series-record 19 runners and fell apart after wave upon wave of missed chances, Game 4 was brutally effective. 6 different Toronto players recorded base hits, five brought home runs and the squad converted nearly every scoring chance available in the final innings.

Next Up

The win ensures the World Series title will be presented at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not won a championship since Joe Carter's iconic game-winning home run in 1993. They now know they are assured a packed crowd in Canada on Friday evening – and possibly Saturday – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 looms with the matchup reset and momentum shifting to Toronto. Los Angeles left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Toronto's surge. The Blue Jays counter with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Toronto chased the starter early in an 11-4 win.