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Only 24 hours after staggering through one of the most exhausting defeats in World Series annals, the Blue Jays played with total command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber delivered a steady start as the Blue Jays defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, squaring the Fall Classic at two games each and guaranteeing the matchup will return to Toronto.

Toronto had spent the early hours of the next day processing their marathon third game defeat – equal to the lengthiest Fall Classic contest ever – a loss that cost them the opportunity to lead the series and depleted both relief corps. Skipper Schneider insisted afterwards that “they won a game, not the World Series”. A day later, his squad provided emphatic proof.

Early Innings

The Dodgers again struck first. Muncy walked in the second, advanced on a single and scored on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial score did not shake a Blue Jays club that topped Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind victories this season.

They responded right away in the third inning. Nathan Lukes hit a one away single to centre and Guerrero stepped in looking for a curveball. Ohtani threw a sweeper up and he drove it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his initial extra-base hit of the World Series and his 7th homer this postseason – a new club mark – regaining the Toronto's advantage after 13 scoreless innings and changing the momentum of the night.

Shohei's Night

That swing also ended Shohei Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 straight at-bats getting on base. The two-way star had hit two home runs and got on base a record nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 walk-off. But on that night, he started on short rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the prior extra-inning game.

Ohtani pitch speed sat below his regular-season average and he labored more as the game wore on. Even so, he displayed glimpses of his usual command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first to continue his Fall Classic record. But the Blue Jays made him work: six base hits and four runs were credited to him in over six frames.

Seventh Inning Rally

The bigger issue for the Dodgers was what followed when he finally ran out of energy.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh with a clean single to right, and Clement drilled a two-base hit off the wall to put runners on with no outs. Dave Roberts had little choice but to pull the starter, who exited to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Dodgers' bullpen could not finish the escape.

Anthony Banda inherited the mess and right away trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez battled to a full count before driving in the runner with a base hit to left. France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove the pitcher out of the game. Blake Treinen came in next but also failed to stem the momentum: Bichette and Barger hit run-scoring singles through the infield, completing a four-run barrage that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Toronto's capacity to withstand early setbacks and respond has characterized their entire postseason. They once again did it without George Springer, the injured leadoff man who left the third game after tweaking his right side.

Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what Toronto needed. Acquired mid-season while finishing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the ex- award-winning winner left multiple baserunners and quieted the Dodgers' dangerous batting order. He allowed one run on four base hits and three walks before Schneider called on first-year left-hander Fluharty to face the heart of the lineup in the sixth inning. He needed just 4 throws to get out Muncy and Edman, protecting a fragile lead that quickly grew comfortable.

Converted starting pitcher Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' offense kept to struggle. Los Angeles have produced only three runs over their last 20 innings, an abrupt slowdown for a club that was among MLB's top lineups all season.

Final Innings

The Los Angeles managed a run in the ninth inning when Edman grounded out to score Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Muncy's double put two aboard. But Varland finished the game without permitting a comeback to build.

After a night when the Blue Jays left a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after wave upon wave of missed chances, Game 4 was brutally efficient. Six different Toronto players recorded hits, five drove in runs and the squad converted nearly every scoring opportunity presented in the late innings.

Looking Ahead

The victory guarantees the World Series trophy will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not won a title since Carter's famous game-winning home run in '93. They now know they are assured a packed crowd in Canada on Friday night – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what occurs next in LA.

Game 5 looms with the matchup even and momentum swinging to Toronto. Los Angeles pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Toronto's surge. The Blue Jays counter with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Toronto knocked out Snell quickly in an 11-4 victory.