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Less than a day following staggering through one of the most exhausting losses in World Series history, the Blue Jays played with complete command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run homer and Bieber delivered a steady start as the Blue Jays defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, tying the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and ensuring the series will return to Canada.

Toronto had passed the early hours of the next day processing their 18-inning third game defeat – tied for the longest Fall Classic game ever – a loss that denied them the chance to take the lead in the series and burned through both bullpens. Skipper Schneider stated later that “the Dodgers won a game, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his team provided convincing evidence.

Early Action

The Dodgers again scored first. Muncy walked in the second inning, advanced on a single and crossed the plate on Hernández's fly out. But the early breakthrough did not rattle a Toronto club that led Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind victories this year.

They responded right away in the third inning. Lukes lined a one-out base hit to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in looking for a curveball. Shohei Ohtani threw a sweeper up and Guerrero sent it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his first long hit of the World Series and his seventh homer this postseason – a fresh team record – regaining the Toronto's advantage after 13 scoreless frames and changing the momentum of the game.

Ohtani's Night

That hit also halted Shohei Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 consecutive plate appearances getting on base. The dual-threat phenomenon had hit two home runs and got on base a historic nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 comeback win. But on that night, he started on short rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the prior extra-inning game.

Ohtani pitch speed was below his regular-season average and he labored more as the game progressed. Nonetheless, he displayed flashes of his usual 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 hits and four earned runs were credited to him in six-plus innings.

Late Game Surge

The bigger issue for Los Angeles was what followed when Ohtani eventually ran out of steam.

Varsho opened the seventh with a clean single to right field, and Clement smashed a two-base hit off the wall to put runners on with no outs. Dave Roberts had no option but to pull Ohtani, who exited to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not finish the inning.

Anthony Banda came into the mess and immediately trailed in the count. Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before driving in Varsho with a single to left field. 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 was unable to stop the momentum: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger hit RBI singles through the diamond, capping a four-score outburst that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Toronto's ability to withstand initial blows and respond has characterized their whole postseason. They once again did it without George Springer, the injured top-of-the-order man who exited the third game after tweaking his oblique.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what Toronto needed. Acquired during the summer while completing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the ex- award-winning winner left multiple runners and silenced the Los Angeles' dangerous batting order. He gave up one earned run on four base hits and three free passes before Schneider called on first-year left-hander Fluharty to confront the heart of the order in the sixth inning. Fluharty required just 4 throws to retire Muncy and Edman, preserving a fragile advantage that soon grew safe.

Converted starter Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' bats continued to sputter. The Dodgers have scored only 3 runs over their previous 20 frames, an sudden downturn for a team that was among MLB's elite offenses all season.

Final Moments

The Dodgers scraped a score in the ninth when Edman grounded out to score Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Muncy's double put two on base. But Varland closed it down without allowing a comeback to build.

Following a night when Toronto stranded a World Series-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after repeated of wasted chances, the fourth contest was brutally efficient. 6 separate Toronto players recorded base hits, 5 brought home scores and the squad cashed nearly every run-scoring opportunity presented in the final stanzas.

Next Up

The victory guarantees the championship trophy will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not won a title since Carter's iconic walk-off homer in 1993. They now know they are assured a packed crowd in Canada on Friday night – and possibly the next day – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 approaches with the matchup reset and energy swinging north. Dodgers left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Toronto'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 Snell early in an 11-4 victory.