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Less than a day after enduring one of the most draining losses in World Series annals, the Blue Jays displayed total control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run homer and Bieber delivered a composed start as Toronto defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, tying the World Series at two games each and guaranteeing the series will return to Toronto.

Toronto had passed the early hours of the next day dealing with their 18-inning third game defeat – equal to the longest Fall Classic contest ever – a loss that cost them the chance to lead the series and depleted both relief corps. Skipper Schneider stated afterwards that “they took a contest, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his team offered emphatic proof.

Initial Action

The Dodgers again struck first. Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, advanced on a single and scored on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial score did not shake a Blue Jays team that topped Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind victories this season.

They answered right away in the third inning. Nathan Lukes hit a one-out single to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate looking for a curveball. Shohei Ohtani left a slider up and Guerrero drove it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his initial extra-base hit of the World Series and his seventh homer this postseason – a new club mark – restoring the Blue Jays's lead after 13 scoreless frames and changing the tone of the night.

Shohei's Performance

That swing also ended Shohei Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 consecutive at-bats getting on base. The two-way star had smashed two homers and reached safely a record nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 comeback win. But on that night, he took the mound on limited rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the previous marathon.

His pitch speed sat under his regular-season average and he labored more as the contest progressed. Even so, he showed glimpses of his usual command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and fanning six. He even walked in the first to continue his Fall Classic streak. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six hits and four runs were credited to him in six-plus frames.

Seventh Inning Surge

The larger issue for Los Angeles was what followed when he eventually lost energy.

Daulton Varsho started the seventh with a sharp single to right, and Clement smashed a two-base hit off the fence to put runners on with no outs. Dave Roberts had no option but to pull the starter, who departed to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Dodgers' bullpen could not complete the escape.

Banda came into the jam and immediately fell behind. Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before driving in Varsho with a single to left field. Ty France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock Banda out of the contest. Blake Treinen came in next but also was unable to stop the momentum: Bo Bichette and Barger punched run-scoring base hits through the diamond, completing a four-run outburst that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Toronto's ability to withstand initial setbacks and answer has defined their entire postseason. They once again did it without George Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order man who exited the third game after straining his right side.

Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what Toronto needed. Acquired during the summer while completing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the former award-winning winner stranded multiple runners and silenced the Los Angeles' dangerous lineup. He gave up one earned run on four base hits and three walks before the manager summoned first-year pitcher Fluharty to confront the heart of the lineup in the sixth. Fluharty needed just four pitches to get out Max Muncy and Edman, preserving a narrow advantage that soon became comfortable.

Converted starter Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' bats continued to sputter. Los Angeles have produced only 3 scores over their last 20 innings, an abrupt slowdown for a team that ranked among MLB's elite lineups all year.

Closing Innings

The Los Angeles scraped a score in the ninth when Edman grounded out to score Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's two-base hit put runners on base. But Varland closed it down without permitting a rally to develop.

Following a game when the Blue Jays stranded a World Series-record 19 runners and fell apart after repeated of missed opportunities, the fourth contest was brutally efficient. Six separate Blue Jays collected base hits, five drove in scores and the team cashed nearly every run-scoring chance presented in the late innings.

Looking Ahead

The victory ensures the championship title will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not celebrated a championship since Joe Carter's famous game-winning homer in 1993. They now know they are guaranteed a packed house in Canada on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game approaches with the series even and momentum shifting north. Dodgers left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Toronto's surge. Toronto respond with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Toronto knocked out the starter early in an decisive victory.