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Less than a day after staggering through one of the most draining defeats in Fall Classic annals, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed complete control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run home run and Bieber provided a composed start as the Blue Jays defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, squaring the World Series at two wins apiece and ensuring the series will return to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had spent the morning of the next day processing their 18-inning third game defeat – equal to the lengthiest World Series game ever – a loss that cost them the chance to take the lead in the series and burned through both relief corps. Manager Schneider stated afterwards that “they took a game, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad offered emphatic evidence.

Early Action

The Dodgers again struck first. Max Muncy walked in the second inning, advanced on a base hit and scored on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the early score did not shake a Blue Jays team that topped Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind wins this year.

They answered immediately in the third. Nathan Lukes lined a one-out single to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate hunting a curveball. Ohtani left a slider up and Guerrero sent it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his initial extra-base hit of the World Series and his 7th homer this playoffs – a fresh team record – restoring the Toronto's lead after 13 scoreless frames and changing the momentum of the night.

Ohtani's Performance

That swing also halted Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 consecutive plate appearances getting on base. The two-way star had hit two homers and reached safely a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' third game walk-off. But on that night, he started on limited rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the prior marathon.

Ohtani pitch speed was below his regular-season norm and he struggled more as the contest progressed. Nonetheless, he showed flashes of his typical control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first to extend his Fall Classic streak. But the Toronto made him work: six base hits and four earned runs were credited to him in six-plus innings.

Late Game Surge

The bigger problem for Los Angeles was what came next when Ohtani finally ran out of energy.

Varsho started the seventh with a clean hit to right field, and Clement smashed a two-base hit off the fence to put runners on with none out. Dave Roberts had no option but to pull the starter, who departed to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not finish the escape.

Anthony Banda inherited the jam and immediately fell behind. Andrés Giménez fought to a full count before scoring the runner with a base hit to left field. Ty France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock the pitcher out of the game. Blake Treinen entered next but also was unable to stop the rally: Bichette and Addison Barger hit run-scoring base hits through the infield, completing a four-score barrage that extended the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Toronto's ability to withstand initial setbacks and answer has defined their entire run. They once again did it without George Springer, the injured top-of-the-order hitter who exited Game 3 after straining his right side.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what the Blue Jays needed. Acquired during the summer while completing recovery from elbow surgery, the former award-winning winner left several runners and quieted the Dodgers' dangerous batting order. He allowed one earned run on four base hits and three free passes before the manager called on rookie left-hander Mason Fluharty to face the heart of the order in the sixth. Fluharty needed just 4 throws to get out Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a fragile lead that soon grew safe.

Converted starter Chris Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' bats kept to struggle. The Dodgers have produced only 3 runs over their last 20 innings, an sudden downturn for a team that ranked among MLB's top offenses all season.

Closing Moments

The Dodgers scraped a score in the ninth when Edman grounded out to score Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's two-base hit put runners aboard. But Louis Varland closed it down without allowing a comeback to build.

After a night when the Blue Jays stranded a World Series-record 19 runners and collapsed after wave upon wave of wasted opportunities, Game 4 was brutally effective. 6 separate Blue Jays collected hits, five brought home scores and the team converted almost every run-scoring chance available in the final stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The victory ensures the World Series trophy will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a championship since Joe Carter's iconic game-winning homer in '93. They now are aware they are assured a full crowd in Toronto on Friday night – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 looms with the series even and momentum swinging north. Los Angeles pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Toronto's momentum. The Blue Jays counter with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Toronto knocked out Snell early in an decisive victory.