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Less than a day following enduring one of the most draining losses in World Series history, the Blue Jays played with complete command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber provided a steady outing as the Blue Jays beat the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, squaring the Fall Classic at two games each and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had passed the early hours of the next day dealing with their marathon Game 3 loss – tied for the longest World Series game ever – a defeat that cost them the chance to take the lead in the matchup and burned through both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider insisted afterwards that “the Dodgers won a game, not the World Series”. A day later, his team offered convincing proof.

Early Action

The Los Angeles again scored first. Muncy drew a walk in the second, advanced on a base hit and crossed the plate on Hernández's fly out. But the initial breakthrough did not rattle a Blue Jays team that led MLB with 49 come-from-behind victories this year.

They answered immediately in the third. Lukes hit a one-out base hit to centre and Guerrero came to the plate looking for a breaking ball. Ohtani left a sweeper up and he sent it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his initial long hit of the series and his seventh homer this postseason – a new club record – regaining the Blue Jays's lead after 13 shutout innings and shifting the momentum of the game.

Ohtani's Performance

That hit also halted Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 straight at-bats reaching base. The two-way star had smashed two home runs and reached safely a record nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 comeback win. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on short rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the previous marathon.

His pitch speed was below his seasonal average and he labored more as the game wore on. Even so, he displayed glimpses of his typical command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and fanning six. He even walked in the first inning to continue his World Series record. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six hits and four runs were charged to him in over six frames.

Seventh Inning Surge

The larger issue for the Dodgers was what followed when he finally lost energy.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh with a sharp single to right, and Clement drilled a double off the fence to put two on with no outs. Roberts had little choice but to remove Ohtani, who exited to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Dodgers' relief corps could not complete the inning.

Banda came into the mess and immediately trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before scoring Varsho with a single to left field. Ty France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove Banda out of the contest. Treinen came in next but also failed to stem the rally: Bo Bichette and Barger hit run-scoring base hits through the infield, capping a four-score outburst that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Blue Jays's capacity to withstand early setbacks and respond has characterized their whole postseason. They once again did it without George Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order hitter who exited Game 3 after straining his oblique.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what the Blue Jays required. Acquired mid-season while completing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner left several runners and silenced the Dodgers' dangerous lineup. He gave up one earned run on four hits and three free passes before Schneider called on rookie left-hander Fluharty to face the core of the lineup in the sixth inning. Fluharty required just four throws to retire Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a fragile lead that soon became safe.

Former starter Chris Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' offense kept to sputter. Los Angeles have produced only 3 runs over their previous 20 innings, an sudden slowdown for a team that was among MLB's elite offenses all season.

Closing Moments

The Dodgers managed a score in the ninth when Tommy Edman hit into an out to score Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's double put two aboard. But Varland finished the game without allowing a rally to build.

Following a game when the Blue Jays stranded a World Series-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after repeated of wasted chances, the fourth contest was ruthlessly effective. Six different Blue Jays recorded base hits, 5 drove in runs and the team cashed nearly every run-scoring opportunity available in the final stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The victory guarantees the World Series title will be presented at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a title since Joe Carter's iconic walk-off homer in '93. They now know they are assured a full crowd in Canada on Friday night – and perhaps the next day – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 looms with the series reset and energy swinging north. Los Angeles pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Toronto's momentum. The Blue Jays respond with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Toronto knocked out Snell early in an 11-4 win.