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Less than a day after staggering through one of the most draining losses in World Series history, the Toronto Blue Jays played with complete control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber delivered a composed outing as the Blue Jays defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, squaring the World Series at two games each and guaranteeing the matchup will return to Canada.

Toronto had passed the morning of Tuesday dealing with their 18-inning third game defeat – equal to the lengthiest World Series contest ever – a loss that cost them the opportunity to take the lead in the matchup and depleted both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider stated afterwards that “the Dodgers won a game, not the championship”. A day later, his team offered convincing proof.

Initial Action

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

They answered right away in the third. Nathan Lukes lined a one away single to centre and Guerrero stepped in hunting a curveball. Shohei Ohtani threw a sweeper up and he drove it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his initial long hit of the World Series and his seventh home run this postseason – a new team record – restoring the Toronto's advantage after 13 scoreless innings and shifting the tone of the game.

Shohei's Performance

That hit also ended Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 consecutive plate appearances reaching base. The dual-threat star had smashed two home runs and reached safely a historic nine times in the Dodgers' third game comeback win. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on limited rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the prior extra-inning game.

His fastball velocity sat under his seasonal average and he struggled more as the game progressed. Nonetheless, he displayed glimpses of his typical control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and fanning six. He even walked in the first inning to continue his World Series streak. But the Blue Jays made him work: six base hits and four runs were credited to him in six-plus frames.

Seventh Inning Rally

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

Daulton Varsho started the seventh with a sharp single to right field, and Clement smashed a two-base hit off the wall to put runners on with none out. Roberts had little choice but to remove the starter, who departed to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not complete the inning.

Banda inherited the mess and immediately trailed in the count. Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before scoring Varsho with a base hit to left field. France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock the pitcher out of the game. Treinen came in next but also was unable to stem the rally: Bo Bichette and Barger hit RBI singles through the diamond, completing a four-score outburst that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Toronto's capacity to absorb initial setbacks and answer has characterized their whole postseason. They once again did it without Springer, the hurt leadoff hitter who exited the third game after straining his oblique.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what Toronto required. Acquired during the summer while finishing recovery from elbow surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner stranded several runners and quieted the Dodgers' potent lineup. He allowed one run on four hits and three free passes before the manager summoned first-year pitcher Mason Fluharty to face the core of the order in the sixth inning. He needed just 4 pitches to get out Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a fragile advantage that soon became safe.

Converted starter Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' bats kept to struggle. Los Angeles have scored only three scores over their last 20 frames, an sudden downturn for a club that was among baseball's top lineups all season.

Closing Innings

The Los Angeles scraped a score in the ninth when Edman grounded out to score Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's two-base hit put two aboard. But Varland finished the game without allowing a comeback to build.

After a night when Toronto left a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after repeated of missed chances, the fourth contest was brutally effective. 6 separate Blue Jays recorded hits, 5 drove in runs and the squad converted almost every run-scoring chance presented in the late stanzas.

Next Up

The victory guarantees the championship trophy will be presented at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not won a title since Carter's famous walk-off homer in '93. They now know they are guaranteed a packed crowd in Toronto on Friday evening – and possibly the next day – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game looms with the matchup reset and momentum shifting to Toronto. Dodgers pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Blue Jays's surge. The Blue Jays respond with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Toronto chased Snell quickly in an 11-4 win.