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Only 24 hours after staggering through one of the most exhausting defeats in World Series annals, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed total control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber delivered a steady outing as the Blue Jays defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, tying the Fall Classic at two games each and guaranteeing the matchup will return to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had passed the morning of the next day processing their marathon third game defeat – tied for the lengthiest Fall Classic contest ever – a loss that cost them the chance to lead the series and depleted both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider insisted later that “they took a game, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his team provided emphatic proof.

Initial Innings

The Los Angeles again scored first. Muncy walked in the second inning, moved up on a single and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial score did not rattle a Toronto club that topped Major League Baseball with 49 comeback wins this season.

They answered immediately in the third inning. Nathan Lukes lined a one away base hit to centre and Guerrero came to the plate looking for a breaking ball. Ohtani left a slider up and Guerrero drove it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his first long hit of the World Series and his seventh homer this playoffs – a new team mark – restoring the Toronto's advantage after 13 scoreless innings and shifting the tone of the night.

Shohei's Night

That swing also halted Shohei Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 consecutive plate appearances reaching base. The two-way phenomenon had hit two homers and reached safely a historic nine times in the Dodgers' third game comeback win. But on that night, he started on short rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the previous marathon.

His fastball velocity was under his regular-season norm and he labored more as the game progressed. Even so, he displayed flashes of his usual control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first to extend his World Series streak. But the Toronto made him work: six base hits and four earned runs were charged to him in six-plus frames.

Seventh Inning Surge

The bigger problem for Los Angeles was what followed when Ohtani finally lost steam.

Varsho opened the seventh with a sharp single to right, and Ernie Clement drilled a two-base hit off the fence to put two on with no outs. Roberts had no option but to pull the starter, who departed to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Dodgers' bullpen could not complete the inning.

Anthony Banda came into the mess and right away fell behind. Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before driving in the runner with a single to left. Ty France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove the pitcher out of the contest. Blake Treinen entered next but also was unable to stem the rally: Bo Bichette and Barger punched run-scoring singles through the diamond, capping a four-run outburst that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Toronto's capacity to absorb early blows and respond has characterized their whole run. They once again did it without George Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order man who exited the third game after tweaking his oblique.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was everything the Blue Jays required. Traded for mid-season while completing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the former Cy Young winner left several baserunners and quieted the Los Angeles' potent batting order. He allowed one earned run on four hits and three walks before the manager called on first-year left-hander Mason Fluharty to face the core of the lineup in the sixth inning. Fluharty required just four pitches to retire Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a narrow lead that quickly became safe.

Converted starting pitcher Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' offense continued to sputter. Los Angeles have produced only 3 scores over their previous 20 frames, an abrupt slowdown for a club that was among baseball's elite lineups all year.

Final Moments

The Dodgers scraped a score in the ninth when Edman grounded out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's two-base hit put two on base. But Louis Varland finished the game without allowing a comeback to build.

Following a game when the Blue Jays stranded a World Series-record 19 runners and collapsed after wave upon wave of missed chances, Game 4 was ruthlessly efficient. 6 different Toronto players collected hits, five drove in scores and the team converted almost every scoring chance available in the late innings.

Next Up

The win guarantees the championship trophy will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a championship since Carter's iconic walk-off home run in 1993. They now are aware they are guaranteed a packed crowd in Canada on Friday evening – and perhaps the next day – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 looms with the matchup even and momentum shifting north. Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Blue Jays's momentum. The Blue Jays counter with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Blue Jays chased Snell early in an 11-4 win.