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Only 24 hours following staggering through one of the most draining losses in World Series annals, the Blue Jays played with total command.

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 their home ballpark, squaring the World Series at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the series will head back to Canada.

The Blue Jays had passed the morning of Tuesday dealing with their 18-inning third game defeat – tied for the lengthiest Fall Classic game ever – a loss that cost them the opportunity to lead the series and burned through both bullpens. Manager Schneider insisted later that “they took a contest, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his team provided convincing evidence.

Initial Innings

The Los Angeles again struck first. Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, advanced on a single and scored on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early breakthrough did not rattle a Toronto club that led Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind victories this year.

They answered right away in the third. Lukes lined a one-out base hit to centre and Guerrero stepped in hunting a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani threw a sweeper up and Guerrero drove it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his first long hit of the series and his 7th home run this playoffs – a fresh club record – restoring the Blue Jays's lead after 13 shutout frames and shifting the momentum of the game.

Ohtani's Night

That hit also halted Ohtani's history-making run of 11 consecutive plate appearances reaching base. The dual-threat star had hit two home runs and got on base a historic nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 walk-off. But on Tuesday, he started on short rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the prior extra-inning game.

Ohtani fastball velocity was below his regular-season average and he struggled more as the contest wore on. Nonetheless, he showed flashes of his typical control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to extend his World Series streak. But the Blue Jays made him work: six base hits and four runs were charged to him in over six frames.

Late Game Rally

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

Varsho started the seventh with a clean hit to right, and Clement drilled a two-base hit off the wall to put two on with no outs. Dave Roberts had little choice but to remove the starter, who departed to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Dodgers' relief corps could not complete the inning.

Banda inherited the mess and right away fell behind. Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before driving in Varsho with a single to left field. Ty France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock Banda out of the game. Treinen entered next but also failed to stop the momentum: Bichette and Addison Barger punched RBI base hits through the infield, capping a four-score barrage that extended the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Blue Jays's capacity to withstand early blows and answer has characterized their entire run. They once again succeeded without Springer, the hurt leadoff hitter who left the third game after tweaking his right side.

Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what the Blue Jays required. Acquired during the summer while finishing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner left multiple baserunners and quieted the Dodgers' potent batting order. He gave up one run on four hits and three free passes before the manager called on rookie left-hander Mason Fluharty to face the heart of the order in the sixth. Fluharty required just 4 throws to get out Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a fragile lead that soon became safe.

Former starting pitcher Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' offense continued to struggle. The Dodgers have scored only three runs over their previous 20 frames, an abrupt downturn for a club that was among MLB's top offenses all season.

Final Innings

The Dodgers managed a run in the ninth inning when Edman hit into an out to score Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's two-base hit put runners aboard. But Varland finished the game without permitting a rally to develop.

After a game when Toronto stranded a World Series-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after wave upon wave of wasted chances, Game 4 was ruthlessly efficient. 6 separate Blue Jays collected hits, five brought home runs and the team cashed nearly every scoring opportunity presented in the final stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The win guarantees the championship title will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a championship since Carter's famous walk-off homer in '93. They now are aware they are guaranteed a packed house in Canada on Friday night – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game looms with the series even and energy swinging to Toronto. Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Blue Jays's surge. Toronto respond with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Toronto knocked out the starter quickly in an decisive victory.