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Less than a day after staggering through one of the most exhausting losses in Fall Classic history, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed total control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run home run and Bieber delivered a composed outing as the Blue Jays defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, squaring the Fall Classic at two games each and guaranteeing the series will return to Toronto.

Toronto had passed the morning of Tuesday dealing with their 18-inning third game defeat – tied for the longest Fall Classic contest ever – a loss that cost them the opportunity to lead the matchup and depleted both bullpens. Skipper Schneider insisted later that “they took a game, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad provided emphatic evidence.

Early Innings

The Los Angeles again scored first. Max Muncy walked in the second inning, advanced on a base hit and scored on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the initial score did not shake a Toronto club that topped MLB with 49 comeback victories this year.

They answered right away in the third inning. Nathan Lukes hit a one-out base hit to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in hunting a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani threw a slider up and Guerrero sent it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his first long hit of the series and his 7th homer this postseason – a fresh team record – regaining the Toronto's advantage after 13 shutout frames and shifting the momentum of the game.

Shohei's Night

That hit also ended Ohtani's history-making run of 11 consecutive at-bats getting on base. The dual-threat phenomenon had smashed two homers and reached safely a record 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 sat under his seasonal average and he labored more as the game progressed. Nonetheless, he showed glimpses of his usual command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first to continue his Fall Classic streak. But the Toronto made him work: six base hits and four runs were charged to him in over six frames.

Seventh Inning Surge

The larger issue for the Dodgers was what came next when Ohtani eventually lost steam.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh inning with a clean single to right, and Ernie Clement drilled a two-base hit off the fence to put two on with none out. Dave Roberts had no option but to remove the starter, who departed to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Dodgers' relief corps could not complete the escape.

Banda inherited the jam and right away fell behind. Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before driving in the runner with a single to left. France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove Banda out of the game. Blake Treinen came in next but also was unable to stem the rally: Bichette and Addison Barger punched RBI base hits through the diamond, capping a four-score barrage that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Blue Jays's capacity to absorb early blows and respond has defined their whole run. They once again did it without Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order man who left the third game after tweaking his oblique.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was everything the Blue Jays required. Traded for mid-season while finishing recovery from elbow surgery, the former award-winning winner left several runners and silenced the Los Angeles' dangerous batting order. He allowed one run on four base hits and three free passes before the manager called on rookie left-hander Fluharty to confront the heart of the lineup in the sixth inning. He needed just four throws to get out Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a fragile lead that soon grew comfortable.

Converted starting pitcher Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' bats kept to struggle. The Dodgers have produced only 3 runs over their previous 20 innings, an sudden downturn for a club that was among baseball's top lineups all season.

Final Innings

The Los Angeles managed a run in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman grounded out to bring home Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's two-base hit put runners on base. But Varland closed it down without permitting a comeback to develop.

After a game when Toronto left a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and fell apart after wave upon wave of missed chances, the fourth contest was ruthlessly effective. 6 separate Toronto players recorded hits, 5 drove in scores and the squad converted nearly every scoring chance presented in the late stanzas.

Next Up

The victory guarantees the championship title will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a championship since Carter's iconic walk-off home run in 1993. They now are aware they are assured a full house in Canada on Friday night – and perhaps the next day – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

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