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Less than a day following enduring one of the most draining losses in World Series history, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed complete command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber delivered a composed start as Toronto beat the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, squaring the Fall Classic at two games each and guaranteeing the series will return to Canada.

Toronto had spent the morning of Tuesday processing their marathon third game defeat – equal to the lengthiest Fall Classic game ever – a defeat that cost them the chance to take the lead in the series and burned through both bullpens. Manager John Schneider stated afterwards that “they won a contest, not the championship”. A day later, his squad offered emphatic proof.

Early Action

The Los Angeles again struck first. Muncy drew a walk in the second, moved up on a single and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early score did not rattle a Blue Jays team that topped Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind wins this year.

They answered immediately in the third inning. Lukes hit a one-out base hit to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate looking for a curveball. Shohei Ohtani left a slider up and he sent it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his initial extra-base hit of the World Series and his 7th home run this playoffs – a fresh club record – regaining the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 scoreless innings and shifting the tone of the game.

Ohtani's Performance

That hit also ended Shohei Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 straight at-bats getting on base. The dual-threat star had smashed two homers and reached safely a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 comeback win. But on Tuesday, he started on limited rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the prior marathon.

His pitch speed was below his regular-season average and he labored more as the game wore on. Even so, he showed glimpses of his usual command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to continue his Fall Classic streak. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six hits and four runs were charged to him in six-plus innings.

Late Game Rally

The bigger problem for Los Angeles was what followed when Ohtani finally ran out of energy.

Varsho started the seventh with a clean single to right field, and Ernie Clement smashed a double off the fence to put two on with none out. Roberts had no option but to pull Ohtani, who exited to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Dodgers' bullpen could not finish the inning.

Anthony Banda came into the mess and right away fell behind. Andrés Giménez fought to a full count before driving in the runner with a single to left field. Ty France came up next with a groundout 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 stem the rally: Bichette and Barger punched run-scoring singles through the diamond, capping a four-score outburst that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Blue Jays's capacity to absorb initial setbacks and respond has defined their whole run. They once again did it without Springer, the injured leadoff man who exited the third game after tweaking his right side.

Bieber, in contrast, was everything Toronto required. Acquired during the summer while finishing rehab from elbow surgery, the former Cy Young winner left multiple baserunners and quieted the Los Angeles' potent lineup. He allowed one earned run on four hits and three walks before the manager called on rookie pitcher Mason Fluharty to face the core of the lineup in the sixth. He required just 4 throws to retire Muncy and Edman, protecting a narrow lead that soon became comfortable.

Former starter Chris Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' offense kept to sputter. Los Angeles have scored only three runs over their previous 20 innings, an sudden slowdown for a team that ranked among MLB's top offenses all year.

Final Moments

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

Following a night when Toronto stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after repeated of wasted chances, Game 4 was brutally effective. 6 separate Blue Jays recorded base hits, 5 drove in scores and the team cashed nearly every scoring chance available in the late innings.

Next Up

The victory guarantees the championship trophy will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not celebrated a title since Carter's famous walk-off home run in '93. They now are aware they are guaranteed a full crowd in Canada on Friday night – and possibly the next day – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 approaches with the series even and momentum swinging to Toronto. Dodgers left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Blue Jays's surge. The Blue Jays counter with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Blue Jays chased Snell early in an decisive victory.