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Only 24 hours following staggering through one of the most exhausting losses in Fall Classic history, the Blue Jays displayed total control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber delivered a steady outing as Toronto defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, tying the World Series at two games each and guaranteeing the series will return to Canada.

Toronto had spent the morning of the next day processing their 18-inning Game 3 loss – tied for the longest Fall Classic game ever – a defeat that cost them the chance to lead the matchup and depleted both relief corps. Manager Schneider insisted afterwards that “the Dodgers took a contest, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad provided convincing evidence.

Initial Innings

The Dodgers again struck first. Max Muncy walked in the second inning, moved up on a single and scored on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the early score did not shake a Toronto club that topped Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind victories this year.

They answered immediately in the third. Lukes hit a one-out single to centre and Guerrero came to the plate looking for a curveball. Ohtani threw a sweeper up and Guerrero sent it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his initial long hit of the series and his seventh homer this playoffs – a fresh club record – regaining the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 shutout frames and shifting the momentum of the game.

Ohtani's Night

That hit also halted Ohtani's history-making run of 11 consecutive plate appearances getting on base. The two-way star had smashed two homers and reached safely 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 prior marathon.

Ohtani pitch speed sat below his regular-season average and he labored more as the contest wore on. Nonetheless, he displayed flashes of his typical control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first to continue his Fall Classic record. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six base hits and four earned runs were charged to him in over six innings.

Late Game Surge

The larger issue for Los Angeles was what followed when he finally ran out of steam.

Varsho started the seventh inning with a clean hit to right field, and Ernie Clement drilled a double off the fence to put two on with none out. Roberts had little choice but to pull Ohtani, who exited to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Dodgers' relief corps could not finish the inning.

Anthony Banda came into the jam and right away fell behind. Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before driving in Varsho with a single to left. Ty France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock the pitcher out of the game. Treinen entered next but also failed to stem the momentum: Bo Bichette and Barger hit run-scoring base hits through the diamond, completing a four-run outburst that extended the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Blue Jays's ability to absorb initial setbacks and respond has defined their whole run. They once again did it without George Springer, the hurt leadoff hitter who left the third game after tweaking his right side.

Bieber, in contrast, was everything Toronto required. Traded for during the summer while completing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the former Cy Young winner stranded several baserunners and silenced the Los Angeles' potent lineup. He gave up one earned run on four hits and three free passes before the manager summoned rookie pitcher Mason Fluharty to face the heart of the order in the sixth inning. He needed just four pitches to retire Muncy and Edman, preserving a narrow advantage that soon grew safe.

Converted starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' offense continued to struggle. Los Angeles have scored only three scores over their previous 20 frames, an abrupt slowdown for a club that ranked among baseball's top lineups all season.

Final Innings

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

Following a night when the Blue Jays left a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and collapsed after wave upon wave of wasted chances, the fourth contest was brutally effective. Six separate Toronto players collected base hits, five brought home runs and the squad converted nearly every run-scoring opportunity presented in the final stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The victory ensures the World Series trophy will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not celebrated a championship since Carter's famous game-winning home run in 1993. They now are aware they are assured a full crowd in Toronto on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what happens next in LA.

The fifth game looms with the matchup even and momentum shifting to Toronto. Dodgers left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest 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 Toronto knocked out the starter quickly in an 11-4 win.