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Only 24 hours following enduring one of the most exhausting defeats in World Series history, the Blue Jays played with complete control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run home run and Bieber delivered a steady outing as Toronto defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, squaring the Fall Classic at two games each and ensuring the series will head back to Toronto.

Toronto had spent the morning of Tuesday dealing with their 18-inning Game 3 loss – tied for the lengthiest Fall Classic game ever – a defeat that denied them the opportunity to take the lead in the series and depleted both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider stated afterwards that “the Dodgers took a contest, not the championship”. A day later, his squad offered emphatic proof.

Early Innings

The Los Angeles again struck first. Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, moved up on a single and scored on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early score did not rattle a Toronto club that topped MLB with 49 comeback victories this season.

They responded immediately in the third inning. Lukes hit a one away single to centre and Guerrero came to the plate looking for a breaking ball. Ohtani threw a slider up and Guerrero drove it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his first long hit of the series and his seventh homer this postseason – a new team mark – regaining the Toronto's advantage after 13 scoreless innings and shifting the tone of the game.

Ohtani's Performance

That swing also halted Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 straight plate appearances getting on base. The two-way star had hit two homers and got on base a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 walk-off. But on Tuesday, he started on short rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the previous marathon.

Ohtani pitch speed was below his seasonal average and he labored 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 to extend his Fall Classic streak. But the Blue Jays made him work: six hits and four runs were charged to him in over six innings.

Late Game Rally

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

Daulton Varsho started the seventh with a sharp hit to right field, and Clement drilled a two-base hit off the wall to put two on with none out. Dave Roberts had little choice but to pull Ohtani, who exited to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not finish the escape.

Anthony Banda inherited the jam and right away trailed in the count. Giménez battled to a full count before scoring Varsho with a single to left field. Ty France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock Banda out of the contest. Treinen entered next but also was unable to stem the momentum: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger hit run-scoring singles through the diamond, completing a four-score barrage that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Blue Jays's ability to withstand early setbacks and answer 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 required. Traded for during the summer while finishing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner left multiple runners and quieted the Dodgers' potent batting order. He gave up one run on four hits and three free passes before Schneider summoned first-year pitcher Fluharty to confront the core of the order in the sixth. He needed just 4 pitches to get out Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a fragile advantage that quickly grew safe.

Former starter Chris Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' bats kept to sputter. The Dodgers have scored only three scores over their last 20 frames, an sudden slowdown for a club that was among baseball's elite lineups all season.

Closing Innings

The Los Angeles scraped a score in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman grounded out to bring home Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's two-base hit put runners aboard. But Louis Varland finished the game without permitting a rally to build.

Following a game when Toronto left a World Series-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after repeated of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was ruthlessly efficient. 6 different Toronto players recorded hits, five drove in scores and the team converted almost every run-scoring chance available in the late stanzas.

Next Up

The win ensures the World Series trophy will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a title since Carter's famous walk-off homer in '93. They now are aware they are assured a packed crowd in Toronto on Friday night – and possibly Saturday – no matter what happens next in LA.

The fifth game looms with the series reset and momentum shifting to Toronto. Dodgers pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Blue Jays's surge. Toronto respond with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Toronto knocked out the starter quickly in an decisive win.