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Only 24 hours following enduring one of the most exhausting defeats in World Series history, the Toronto Blue Jays played with complete control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run home run and Bieber provided a composed outing as the Blue Jays defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, squaring the Fall Classic at two games each and guaranteeing the series will head back to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had passed the early hours of the next day processing their marathon Game 3 loss – tied for the longest World Series game ever – a loss that denied them the chance to take the lead in the matchup and burned through both relief corps. Manager John Schneider insisted later that “they won a game, not the championship”. A day later, his team provided emphatic proof.

Initial Action

The Dodgers again struck first. Max Muncy walked in the second inning, moved up on a single and crossed the plate on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early score did not shake a Blue Jays team that led Major League Baseball with 49 comeback victories this year.

They answered right away in the third. Lukes lined a one-out base hit to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in looking for a curveball. Ohtani threw a slider up and he drove it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his initial extra-base hit of the World Series and his 7th homer this playoffs – a new club record – restoring the Toronto's advantage after 13 shutout innings and changing the momentum of the game.

Ohtani's Performance

That swing also ended Shohei Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 straight plate appearances getting on base. The two-way phenomenon had smashed two home runs and got on base a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' third game comeback win. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on limited rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the prior marathon.

His pitch speed sat below his seasonal norm and he labored more as the game progressed. Nonetheless, he showed flashes of his usual control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and striking out six. He even walked in the first to continue his World Series streak. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six hits and four earned runs were credited to him in over six innings.

Seventh Inning Rally

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

Varsho opened the seventh inning with a sharp single to right field, and Ernie Clement drilled a double off the wall to put runners on with none out. Roberts had no option but to remove the starter, who exited to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Dodgers' bullpen could not finish the inning.

Banda came into the mess and immediately trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before driving in the runner with a single to left. Ty France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock Banda out of the contest. Treinen entered next but also failed to stem the momentum: Bo Bichette and Barger hit RBI base hits through the infield, completing a four-score barrage that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Toronto's capacity to withstand early setbacks and respond has defined their whole run. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the injured leadoff man who left Game 3 after tweaking his right side.

Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what Toronto needed. Acquired during the summer while finishing recovery from elbow surgery, the former Cy Young winner left multiple baserunners and silenced the Dodgers' dangerous lineup. He gave up one earned run on four base hits and three free passes before the manager summoned first-year pitcher Mason Fluharty to confront the core of the lineup in the sixth. He needed just 4 pitches to get out Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a narrow lead that soon grew comfortable.

Converted starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' bats continued to struggle. The Dodgers have produced only three runs over their previous 20 innings, an sudden downturn for a team that was among baseball's top offenses all year.

Final Moments

The Los Angeles scraped a run in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman hit into an out to score Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's double put two aboard. But Louis Varland finished the game without permitting a comeback to develop.

After a game when Toronto stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and collapsed after repeated of missed chances, the fourth contest was ruthlessly effective. Six separate Toronto players recorded hits, five brought home scores and the squad cashed almost every scoring opportunity available in the final stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The win ensures the World Series title will be presented at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not won a title since Joe Carter's famous walk-off home run in '93. They now are aware they are guaranteed a full crowd in Toronto on Friday evening – and perhaps the next day – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 looms with the series reset and momentum swinging north. Los Angeles left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Toronto's surge. Toronto counter with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Blue Jays chased the starter early in an 11-4 win.