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Less than a day following staggering through one of the most draining defeats in World Series history, the Blue Jays played with total command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber delivered a steady outing as Toronto beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, squaring the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the matchup will return to Canada.

Toronto had passed the early hours of the next day processing their marathon third game defeat – tied for the lengthiest Fall Classic game ever – a loss that cost them the chance to take the lead in the series and burned through both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider stated afterwards that “they won a contest, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his team offered emphatic evidence.

Initial Innings

The Los Angeles again struck first. Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, advanced on a base hit and scored on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the early score did not rattle a Blue Jays club that led MLB with 49 comeback victories this year.

They responded right away in the third inning. Nathan Lukes hit a one-out base hit to center field and Guerrero stepped in looking for a breaking ball. Ohtani threw a slider up and he sent it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his initial long hit of the World Series and his seventh home run this postseason – a fresh team record – regaining the Toronto's lead after 13 shutout innings and shifting the tone of the night.

Shohei's Performance

That hit also halted Ohtani's history-making run of 11 consecutive plate appearances reaching base. The two-way star had hit two homers and got on base a record nine times in the Dodgers' third game walk-off. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on limited rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the prior marathon.

Ohtani fastball velocity was below his regular-season average and he struggled more as the contest progressed. Even so, he displayed glimpses of his typical control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and striking out six. He even walked in the first to extend his Fall Classic record. But the Blue Jays made him work: six hits and four earned runs were credited to him in over six frames.

Late Game Surge

The larger problem for the Dodgers was what came next when he finally lost energy.

Daulton Varsho started the seventh inning with a clean hit to right, and Clement smashed a two-base hit off the wall to put runners on with no outs. Roberts had no option but to remove Ohtani, who exited to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Dodgers' relief corps could not finish the escape.

Anthony Banda inherited the jam and immediately trailed in the count. 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 Banda out of the contest. Blake Treinen entered next but also was unable to stop the momentum: Bichette and Barger punched RBI singles through the infield, completing a four-run barrage that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Toronto's capacity to withstand initial blows and respond has characterized their entire run. They once again succeeded without Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order man who left Game 3 after tweaking his oblique.

Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what the Blue Jays needed. Acquired mid-season while completing rehab from elbow surgery, the former award-winning winner left several runners and silenced the Los Angeles' potent batting order. He gave up one run on four base hits and three free passes before the manager called on first-year pitcher Mason Fluharty to confront the heart of the lineup in the sixth inning. Fluharty needed just four throws to get out Max Muncy and Edman, protecting a narrow lead that quickly grew safe.

Former starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' offense continued to struggle. Los Angeles have produced only 3 runs over their previous 20 frames, an abrupt downturn for a club that ranked among MLB's top lineups all year.

Closing Innings

The Dodgers managed a score in the ninth inning when Edman hit into an out to score Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's two-base hit put two on base. But Louis Varland finished the game without allowing a rally to build.

After a night when the Blue Jays stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and fell apart after repeated of missed chances, Game 4 was ruthlessly effective. Six different Toronto players collected base hits, five drove in runs and the team converted almost every scoring opportunity available in the final stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The victory ensures the World Series trophy will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not celebrated a championship since Joe Carter's iconic game-winning homer in 1993. They now are aware they are assured a packed crowd in Canada on Friday evening – and possibly Saturday – no matter what occurs next in LA.

The fifth game approaches with the series even and energy swinging to Toronto. Dodgers left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Toronto's surge. Toronto counter with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Blue Jays knocked out Snell early in an decisive win.