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Only 24 hours following staggering through one of the most exhausting defeats in Fall Classic annals, the Blue Jays played with total control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber provided a composed outing as Toronto beat the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, tying the World Series at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the series will head back to Canada.

The Blue Jays had spent the morning of Tuesday dealing with their 18-inning Game 3 loss – tied for the longest World Series contest ever – a defeat that cost them the opportunity to lead the matchup and depleted both bullpens. Skipper John Schneider stated afterwards that “they took a game, not the championship”. A day later, his squad provided emphatic proof.

Early Action

The Dodgers again struck first. Muncy drew a walk in the second, advanced on a single and crossed the plate on Hernández's fly out. But the early breakthrough did not shake a Blue Jays team that led MLB with 49 comeback wins this year.

They responded right away in the third inning. Nathan Lukes lined a one-out base hit to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate hunting a curveball. Ohtani left a sweeper up and he drove it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his first extra-base hit of the World Series and his seventh home run this playoffs – a new club record – restoring the Blue Jays's lead after 13 shutout innings and shifting the momentum of the game.

Shohei's Night

That swing also halted Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 consecutive plate appearances getting on base. The dual-threat star had hit two home runs and reached safely a historic nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 walk-off. But on Tuesday, he started on short rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the prior marathon.

His fastball velocity sat under his regular-season average and he struggled more as the contest wore on. Nonetheless, he displayed flashes of his usual command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and fanning six. He even walked in the first inning to continue his Fall Classic streak. But the Blue Jays made him work: six hits and four runs were charged to him in over six frames.

Seventh Inning Surge

The bigger issue for the Dodgers was what came next when Ohtani finally ran out of steam.

Varsho opened the seventh with a sharp hit to right field, and Ernie Clement drilled a double off the fence to put runners on with no outs. Roberts had little choice but to remove the starter, who departed to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not complete the inning.

Banda inherited the mess and immediately trailed in the count. Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before scoring Varsho with a single to left field. France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove the pitcher out of the game. Blake Treinen entered next but also failed to stop the rally: Bichette and Barger hit run-scoring singles through the diamond, completing a four-run barrage that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Toronto's capacity to withstand initial setbacks and answer has characterized their whole run. They once again did it without Springer, the hurt leadoff hitter who exited Game 3 after tweaking his right side.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was everything the Blue Jays required. Traded for during the summer while completing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the former award-winning winner stranded multiple baserunners and silenced the Dodgers' dangerous lineup. He allowed one earned run on four hits and three free passes before Schneider called on rookie pitcher Fluharty to face the core of the lineup in the sixth. He needed just 4 throws to retire Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a fragile lead that soon grew comfortable.

Former starting pitcher Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' offense continued to struggle. Los Angeles have produced only 3 scores over their previous 20 innings, an abrupt slowdown for a club that was among MLB's top lineups all season.

Final Moments

The Los Angeles managed a run in the ninth when Edman hit into an out to bring home Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's two-base hit put two aboard. But Louis Varland finished the game without permitting a comeback to build.

Following a night when Toronto stranded a World Series-record 19 runners and collapsed after wave upon wave of missed opportunities, the fourth contest was brutally effective. Six separate Toronto players recorded hits, 5 drove in runs and the team converted nearly every scoring chance available in the late innings.

Looking Ahead

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

The fifth game looms with the matchup reset and energy swinging to Toronto. Los Angeles pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Blue Jays's surge. The Blue Jays counter with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Blue Jays knocked out the starter quickly in an decisive win.