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Less than a day following staggering through one of the most exhausting losses in World Series annals, the Blue Jays played with complete control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run home run and Bieber provided a steady start as Toronto defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, squaring the World Series at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the series will head back to Canada.

Toronto had spent the morning of the next day processing their marathon third game defeat – tied for the longest World Series contest ever – a loss that denied them the chance to lead the series and depleted both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider stated later that “they won a contest, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his team offered convincing proof.

Early Action

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

They responded immediately in the third. Lukes lined a one away base hit to centre and Guerrero came to the plate looking for a curveball. Shohei Ohtani threw a slider up and he drove it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his initial extra-base hit of the World Series and his seventh homer this playoffs – a fresh club mark – regaining the Toronto's advantage after 13 scoreless frames and changing the tone of the night.

Shohei's Night

That hit also halted Shohei Ohtani's history-making run of 11 consecutive at-bats getting on base. The dual-threat phenomenon had smashed two home runs and got on base a record nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 walk-off. 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 norm and he struggled more as the contest wore on. Even so, he showed flashes of his typical control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and fanning six. He even walked in the first to continue his World Series record. But the Blue Jays made him work: six base hits and four runs were credited to him in six-plus innings.

Late Game Surge

The bigger issue for Los Angeles was what came next when he finally ran out of steam.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh with a clean single to right, and Clement smashed a double off the wall to put runners on with no outs. Roberts had no option but to pull the starter, who departed to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not finish the inning.

Anthony Banda came into the mess and right away fell behind. Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before driving in the runner with a base hit to left. Ty France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove Banda out of the contest. Treinen came in next but also failed to stop the rally: Bo Bichette and Barger hit run-scoring singles through the diamond, completing a four-score barrage that extended the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Blue Jays's ability to withstand initial blows and respond has defined their whole postseason. They once again succeeded without Springer, the injured top-of-the-order man who exited Game 3 after straining his oblique.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what the Blue Jays needed. Acquired during the summer while finishing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the former Cy Young winner left several runners and quieted the Dodgers' dangerous lineup. He allowed one earned run on four base hits and three walks before the manager called on rookie left-hander Mason Fluharty to face the core of the lineup in the sixth inning. Fluharty required just 4 throws to retire Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a fragile lead that quickly grew safe.

Former starter Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' offense continued to sputter. Los Angeles have scored only 3 runs over their last 20 frames, an sudden slowdown for a club that was among baseball's elite lineups all year.

Final Innings

The Los Angeles scraped a run in the ninth when Edman hit into an out to bring home Hernández after a walk and Muncy's two-base hit put runners aboard. But Louis Varland closed it down without allowing a rally to develop.

After a game when the Blue Jays stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and fell apart after wave upon wave of missed opportunities, Game 4 was brutally efficient. 6 different Blue Jays collected base hits, five brought home scores and the squad converted nearly every run-scoring chance presented in the late innings.

Looking Ahead

The victory guarantees the World Series title will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not celebrated a championship since Joe Carter's iconic game-winning homer in '93. They now know they are guaranteed a full house in Canada on Friday evening – and possibly the next day – no matter what occurs next in LA.

Game 5 looms with the matchup reset and energy swinging north. Los Angeles left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Blue Jays's momentum. The Blue Jays counter with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Blue Jays knocked out Snell early in an 11-4 victory.