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Less than a day after enduring one of the most draining losses in Fall Classic history, the Toronto Blue Jays played with complete command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber provided a steady start as the Blue Jays defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, tying the Fall Classic at two games each and guaranteeing the series will return to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had spent the early hours of the next day dealing with their marathon Game 3 loss – tied for the longest Fall Classic game ever – a defeat that cost them the opportunity to take the lead in the matchup and depleted both relief corps. Manager Schneider insisted afterwards that “the Dodgers took a game, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad provided convincing proof.

Initial Action

The Dodgers again scored first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, moved up on a single and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early breakthrough did not rattle a Toronto club that led MLB with 49 comeback victories this season.

They responded right away in the third inning. Nathan Lukes lined a one-out single to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in hunting a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani threw a sweeper up and Guerrero sent it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his first extra-base hit of the series and his seventh homer this postseason – a fresh team record – regaining the Blue Jays's lead after 13 shutout frames and changing the tone of the night.

Ohtani's Night

That hit also ended Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 straight at-bats getting on base. The two-way phenomenon had smashed two homers and reached safely a historic nine times in the Dodgers' third game walk-off. But on Tuesday, he started on limited rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the prior extra-inning game.

Ohtani pitch speed was below his seasonal average and he struggled more as the game wore on. Nonetheless, he displayed glimpses of his typical control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first to continue his Fall Classic streak. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six hits and four runs were charged to him in over six frames.

Seventh Inning Rally

The bigger issue for the Dodgers was what came next when Ohtani finally ran out of energy.

Varsho opened the seventh with a sharp hit to right field, and Clement smashed a double off the fence to put runners on with no outs. Roberts had no option but to pull Ohtani, who exited to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Dodgers' relief corps could not complete the inning.

Banda inherited the jam and right away fell behind. Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before driving in Varsho with a single to left. Ty France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock Banda out of the contest. Blake Treinen came in next but also failed to stem the momentum: Bo Bichette and Barger punched run-scoring singles through the infield, completing a four-score barrage that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Toronto's capacity to withstand early setbacks and answer has characterized their whole run. They once again succeeded without Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order hitter who exited Game 3 after straining his right side.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what the Blue Jays needed. Acquired during the summer while completing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the former Cy Young winner stranded several runners and quieted the Los Angeles' dangerous lineup. He gave up one earned run on four hits and three walks before Schneider called on first-year pitcher Fluharty to confront the core of the order in the sixth. Fluharty required just four pitches to get out Muncy and Edman, protecting a narrow advantage that quickly became comfortable.

Converted starting pitcher Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' bats continued to struggle. Los Angeles have produced only 3 runs over their previous 20 innings, an sudden slowdown for a team that was among baseball's elite lineups all season.

Closing Moments

The Los Angeles managed a score in the ninth when Edman grounded out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Muncy's double put runners on base. But Varland closed it down without permitting a rally to develop.

Following a night when Toronto left a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after repeated of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was brutally efficient. 6 separate Blue Jays recorded base hits, five brought home runs and the team converted nearly every scoring chance available in the final stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The victory guarantees the World Series title will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a championship since Carter's famous walk-off homer in 1993. They now know they are guaranteed a packed house in Toronto on Friday night – and possibly Saturday – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game looms with the series even and energy swinging to Toronto. Los Angeles pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Toronto's momentum. The Blue Jays respond with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Blue Jays knocked out the starter early in an decisive victory.