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Only 24 hours after staggering through one of the most exhausting defeats in World Series history, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed total control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run home run and Bieber delivered a steady outing as the Blue Jays beat the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, squaring the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and ensuring the matchup will return to Toronto.

Toronto had spent the morning of Tuesday processing their 18-inning third game defeat – equal to the longest Fall Classic game ever – a loss that cost them the opportunity to lead the series and burned through both relief corps. Manager John Schneider stated later that “the Dodgers took a contest, not the World Series”. A day later, his squad provided convincing proof.

Early Innings

The Dodgers again scored first. Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, advanced on a single and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial score did not shake a Toronto club that led Major League Baseball with 49 comeback victories this season.

They answered right away in the third inning. Nathan Lukes lined a one away single to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in hunting a curveball. Shohei Ohtani left a slider up and he drove it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his first long hit of the series and his seventh homer this playoffs – a fresh club mark – regaining the Blue Jays's lead after 13 scoreless innings and shifting the tone of the game.

Ohtani's Night

That hit also halted Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 consecutive at-bats reaching base. The two-way phenomenon 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 requiring an IV to recover from the previous extra-inning game.

His fastball velocity sat below his seasonal average and he labored more as the contest progressed. Nonetheless, he showed glimpses of his typical command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first to continue his World Series streak. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six base hits and four runs were credited to him in six-plus frames.

Late Game Surge

The larger issue for Los Angeles was what followed when Ohtani finally ran out of energy.

Varsho started the seventh inning with a clean single to right, and Clement drilled a double off the fence to put two on with none out. Dave Roberts had no option but to remove Ohtani, who exited to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not complete the inning.

Anthony Banda inherited the jam and immediately trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez battled to a full count before driving in Varsho with a single to left. France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove the pitcher out of the game. Treinen entered next but also failed to stop the momentum: Bo Bichette and Barger hit RBI singles through the diamond, capping a four-run barrage that extended the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Toronto's ability to withstand initial setbacks and answer has characterized their entire postseason. They once again succeeded without Springer, the injured top-of-the-order man who left Game 3 after tweaking his oblique.

Bieber, meanwhile, was everything Toronto required. Traded for mid-season while finishing recovery from elbow surgery, the ex- award-winning winner stranded multiple runners and quieted the Dodgers' potent batting order. He gave up one earned run on four base hits and three free passes before the manager summoned rookie pitcher Fluharty to confront the heart of the order in the sixth inning. Fluharty needed just 4 pitches to retire Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a narrow lead that quickly became safe.

Converted starter Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' bats kept to sputter. Los Angeles have produced only 3 scores over their previous 20 frames, an abrupt slowdown for a team that ranked among baseball's top lineups all year.

Closing Innings

The Dodgers managed a run in the ninth when Edman hit into an out to score Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's two-base hit put runners aboard. But Varland finished the game without allowing a rally to build.

After a night when the Blue Jays stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after repeated of missed chances, the fourth contest was brutally efficient. 6 separate Toronto players collected base hits, 5 drove in scores and the squad cashed nearly every scoring opportunity available in the final stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The win ensures the championship trophy will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a championship since Joe Carter's iconic game-winning home run in 1993. They now know they are assured a full house in Toronto on Friday night – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 approaches with the matchup even and energy shifting to Toronto. Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Toronto's momentum. Toronto counter with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Toronto chased the starter quickly in an 11-4 victory.