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Only 24 hours following staggering through one of the most draining losses in World Series annals, the Blue Jays displayed total control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber provided a composed start as Toronto defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, squaring the World Series at two games each and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Toronto.

Toronto had spent the early hours of Tuesday processing their marathon Game 3 loss – equal to the longest World Series contest ever – a defeat that cost them the chance to lead the matchup and burned through both relief corps. Manager John Schneider insisted afterwards that “they took a game, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his team offered convincing proof.

Early Innings

The Los Angeles again scored first. Muncy walked in the second inning, moved up on a single and crossed the plate on Hernández's fly out. But the early breakthrough did not shake a Toronto team that topped MLB with 49 come-from-behind victories this year.

They answered right away in the third inning. Nathan Lukes hit a one-out single to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate hunting a curveball. Ohtani threw a sweeper up and he sent it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his first long hit of the series and his 7th homer this playoffs – a fresh team mark – restoring the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 shutout innings and shifting the tone of the night.

Shohei's Performance

That hit also ended Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 straight at-bats getting on base. The dual-threat star had smashed two homers and reached safely a record nine times in the Los Angeles' third game walk-off. But on Tuesday, he started on short rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the prior extra-inning game.

Ohtani pitch speed sat under his regular-season average and he struggled more as the contest progressed. Nonetheless, he displayed glimpses of his usual command, 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 hits and four runs were credited to him in six-plus innings.

Late Game Rally

The larger problem for the Dodgers was what followed when he eventually lost energy.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh with a clean hit to right field, and Clement drilled a two-base hit off the fence to put two on with no outs. Roberts had little choice but to remove the starter, who departed to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not finish the inning.

Anthony Banda came into the jam and immediately trailed in the count. Giménez battled to a full count before scoring the runner with a base hit to left field. Ty France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock the pitcher out of the game. Treinen entered next but also was unable to stop the momentum: Bichette and Addison Barger punched RBI singles through the diamond, completing a four-run barrage that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Toronto's ability to absorb early blows and respond has characterized their whole postseason. They once again succeeded without Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order hitter who exited the third game after straining his oblique.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what the Blue Jays required. Acquired mid-season while completing recovery from elbow surgery, the former award-winning winner left multiple runners and silenced the Los Angeles' potent batting order. He gave up one run on four base hits and three walks before the manager called on rookie left-hander Fluharty to confront the heart of the order in the sixth inning. He required just four throws to retire Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a fragile advantage that soon became comfortable.

Former starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' offense continued to sputter. The Dodgers have scored only three runs over their previous 20 frames, an abrupt slowdown for a team that ranked among MLB's elite offenses all season.

Closing Moments

The Los Angeles managed a run in the ninth when Tommy Edman hit into an out to score Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's double put runners aboard. But Varland closed it down without permitting a rally to build.

Following a night when Toronto stranded a World Series-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after wave upon wave of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was ruthlessly efficient. 6 different Blue Jays collected base hits, five brought home scores and the team cashed almost every scoring opportunity available in the final innings.

Looking Ahead

The victory guarantees the championship title will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not won a championship since Joe Carter's famous walk-off homer in '93. They now are aware they are guaranteed a packed house in Toronto on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game approaches with the matchup even and momentum shifting north. Dodgers pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Toronto's surge. Toronto respond with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Blue Jays knocked out Snell quickly in an decisive victory.