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Less than a day following staggering through one of the most draining defeats in Fall Classic history, the Blue Jays played with total control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run home run and Bieber delivered a steady start as the Blue Jays defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, squaring the World Series at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the series will head back to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had spent the morning of Tuesday dealing with their marathon Game 3 loss – tied for the longest Fall Classic game ever – a loss that denied them the chance to lead the matchup and depleted both bullpens. Skipper Schneider stated later that “they won a game, not the World Series”. A day later, his squad offered convincing proof.

Early Action

The Los Angeles again struck first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second, moved up on a base hit and crossed the plate on Hernández's fly out. But the initial breakthrough did not shake a Blue Jays club that topped Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind victories this season.

They answered immediately in the third inning. Nathan Lukes hit a one-out single to centre and Guerrero stepped in looking for a curveball. Shohei Ohtani left a slider up and Guerrero sent it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his initial long hit of the World Series and his seventh home run this playoffs – a fresh club record – restoring the Toronto's advantage after 13 scoreless frames and shifting the tone of the game.

Ohtani's Performance

That hit also halted Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 straight at-bats reaching base. The dual-threat star had hit two home runs and got on base a historic nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 comeback win. But on Tuesday, he started on limited rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the prior extra-inning game.

His pitch speed was under his regular-season average and he labored more as the game wore on. Nonetheless, he displayed flashes of his usual command, retiring 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 record. But the Toronto made him work: six base hits and four runs were charged to him in over six innings.

Late Game Rally

The larger problem for Los Angeles was what followed when he eventually lost energy.

Varsho started the seventh with a clean single to right, and Clement drilled a two-base hit off the fence to put two on with none out. Dave Roberts had no option but to pull Ohtani, who exited to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not finish the escape.

Banda inherited the mess and right away fell behind. Andrés Giménez fought to a full count before scoring the runner with a single to left. Ty 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 stop the momentum: Bichette and Barger hit RBI singles through the diamond, completing a four-run outburst that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Toronto's ability to withstand initial blows and answer has characterized their whole postseason. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the hurt leadoff man who left Game 3 after tweaking his right side.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was everything the Blue Jays needed. Acquired during the summer while finishing recovery from elbow surgery, the former award-winning winner stranded multiple runners and silenced the Dodgers' potent batting order. He allowed one earned run on four base hits and three walks before Schneider called on first-year left-hander Fluharty to confront the heart of the order in the sixth inning. He needed just four throws to get out Muncy and Edman, preserving a narrow advantage that soon became safe.

Former starter Chris Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' bats kept to struggle. Los Angeles have produced only 3 scores over their last 20 frames, an sudden downturn for a team that was among baseball's elite offenses all year.

Closing Moments

The Los Angeles scraped a score in the ninth when Tommy Edman grounded out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's double put runners on base. But Louis Varland finished the game without allowing a rally to build.

Following a game when the Blue Jays stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after repeated of missed opportunities, the fourth contest was ruthlessly effective. 6 separate Blue Jays recorded hits, 5 brought home scores and the team cashed almost every scoring chance available in the late innings.

Looking Ahead

The victory ensures the championship trophy will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not won a championship since Joe Carter's famous walk-off homer in '93. They now know they are guaranteed a full crowd in Toronto on Friday night – and possibly Saturday – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game looms with the matchup even and energy shifting north. Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Toronto'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 early in an decisive win.