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Only 24 hours after enduring one of the most draining defeats in Fall Classic annals, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed total command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run home run and Bieber delivered a composed start 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 Canada.

The Blue Jays had spent the early hours of the next day dealing with their 18-inning Game 3 loss – tied for the longest Fall Classic game ever – a defeat that denied them the chance to lead the series and burned through both bullpens. Manager John Schneider stated later that “the Dodgers won a contest, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad offered emphatic evidence.

Initial Innings

The Los Angeles again struck first. Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, moved up on a single and scored on Hernández's fly out. But the initial score did not shake a Blue Jays team that topped Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind wins this year.

They responded immediately in the third inning. Lukes lined a one away single to centre and Guerrero 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 extra-base hit of the series and his seventh home run this playoffs – a new club mark – regaining the Blue Jays's lead after 13 scoreless innings and shifting the tone of the night.

Ohtani's Night

That swing also halted Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 consecutive plate appearances reaching base. The dual-threat star had hit two homers and reached safely a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' third game comeback win. But on that night, he took the mound on limited rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the previous extra-inning game.

Ohtani fastball velocity sat under his regular-season norm and he labored more as the contest progressed. Even so, he displayed flashes of his usual control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first to continue his Fall Classic record. But the Blue Jays made him work: six base hits and four runs were charged to him in over six frames.

Seventh Inning Surge

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

Varsho started the seventh inning with a clean single to right, and Clement smashed a double off the wall to put two on with none out. Roberts had no option but to remove the starter, who departed to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not complete the escape.

Anthony Banda inherited the jam and right away fell behind. Andrés Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before driving in the runner with a single to left field. France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove the pitcher out of the game. Blake Treinen entered next but also failed to stop the rally: Bichette and Addison Barger punched RBI singles through the infield, completing a four-score barrage that extended the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Toronto's capacity to absorb initial setbacks and respond has characterized their entire postseason. They once again did it without Springer, the hurt leadoff hitter who exited Game 3 after straining his oblique.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what Toronto required. Acquired mid-season while completing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the ex- award-winning winner stranded multiple baserunners and silenced the Los Angeles' potent lineup. He allowed one run on four hits and three walks before the manager summoned rookie left-hander Mason Fluharty to face the core of the lineup in the sixth inning. He needed just four pitches to get out Muncy and Edman, protecting a fragile lead that quickly became safe.

Former starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' bats kept to struggle. Los Angeles have produced only three runs over their last 20 innings, an abrupt downturn for a club that was among MLB's top offenses all season.

Final Moments

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

After a game when Toronto left a World Series-record 19 runners and collapsed after wave upon wave of missed chances, Game 4 was ruthlessly effective. Six separate Toronto players recorded hits, five drove in runs and the squad converted nearly every scoring opportunity available in the final innings.

Looking Ahead

The win guarantees the championship title will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not won a title since Carter's iconic game-winning homer in '93. They now are aware they are assured a packed crowd in Canada on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what happens next in LA.

Game 5 approaches with the matchup even and energy shifting north. Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Toronto's momentum. Toronto respond with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Toronto knocked out Snell quickly in an decisive win.