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Less than a day after staggering through one of the most draining losses in World Series annals, the Blue Jays played with complete command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run homer and Bieber delivered a steady start as Toronto beat the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, squaring the World Series at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Canada.

The Blue Jays had spent the early hours of Tuesday dealing with their marathon Game 3 loss – equal to the longest Fall Classic game ever – a loss that cost them the chance to take the lead in the matchup and depleted both relief corps. Manager Schneider stated later that “they won a contest, not the championship”. A day later, his team provided convincing proof.

Early Innings

The Los Angeles again struck first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, advanced on a base hit and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early score did not rattle a Blue Jays club that led MLB with 49 come-from-behind victories this season.

They answered immediately in the third inning. Lukes hit a one-out single to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in hunting a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani threw a sweeper up and Guerrero sent it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his initial extra-base hit of the series and his seventh homer this postseason – a new club mark – restoring the Blue Jays's lead after 13 scoreless innings and shifting the tone of the night.

Ohtani's Performance

That swing also ended Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 straight plate appearances getting on base. The dual-threat star had smashed two home runs and reached safely a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 comeback win. But on that night, he took the mound on short rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the prior extra-inning game.

Ohtani pitch speed was below his regular-season norm and he struggled more as the contest progressed. Nonetheless, he displayed glimpses of his typical control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to continue his Fall Classic streak. But the Toronto made him work: six hits and four runs were credited to him in over six innings.

Late Game Rally

The bigger issue for Los Angeles was what followed when he finally lost steam.

Varsho started the seventh inning with a sharp hit to right, and Ernie Clement drilled a double off the wall to put two on with none out. Dave Roberts had little choice but to remove the starter, who exited to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Dodgers' relief corps could not finish the escape.

Banda came into the jam and immediately trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez fought to a full count before scoring the runner with a base hit to left. Ty France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove the pitcher out of the contest. Blake Treinen came in next but also failed to stop the momentum: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger hit run-scoring singles through the diamond, capping a four-run outburst that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Toronto's ability to withstand initial setbacks and respond has characterized their entire postseason. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the hurt leadoff hitter who left the third game after straining his right side.

Bieber, in contrast, was everything the Blue Jays needed. Acquired mid-season while completing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner left multiple runners and quieted the Dodgers' potent batting order. He allowed one earned run on four hits and three walks before the manager summoned rookie pitcher Fluharty to confront the heart of the order in the sixth. He required just 4 throws to retire Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a fragile advantage that quickly grew comfortable.

Former starter Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' bats kept to struggle. The Dodgers have produced only three runs over their previous 20 innings, an abrupt slowdown for a club that was among baseball's elite offenses all year.

Closing Moments

The Dodgers managed a score in the ninth when Tommy Edman grounded out to score Hernández after a walk and Muncy's two-base hit put two aboard. But Varland finished the game without permitting a rally to develop.

Following a game when the Blue Jays left a World Series-record 19 runners and fell apart after repeated of missed opportunities, the fourth contest was ruthlessly effective. 6 different Toronto players collected hits, 5 brought home scores and the squad converted nearly every scoring opportunity presented in the final stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The victory ensures the championship title will be presented at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not celebrated a championship since Joe Carter's famous game-winning homer in 1993. They now know they are assured a packed crowd in Toronto on Friday evening – and possibly the next day – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game approaches with the series reset and momentum shifting to Toronto. Los Angeles pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Toronto's momentum. The Blue Jays respond with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Blue Jays knocked out the starter early in an 11-4 victory.