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

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run home run and Bieber delivered a composed outing as Toronto beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, squaring the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and ensuring the series will head back to Canada.

The Blue Jays had passed the early hours of the next day processing their marathon third game defeat – tied for the longest World Series contest ever – a defeat that cost them the chance to lead the series and burned through both bullpens. Manager John Schneider insisted afterwards that “the Dodgers took a game, not the championship”. A day later, his team provided emphatic evidence.

Early Innings

The Los Angeles again scored first. Max Muncy walked in the second, advanced on a single and scored on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early score did not shake a Blue Jays team that topped Major League Baseball with 49 comeback wins this year.

They responded right away in the third. Lukes lined a one away single to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in looking for a breaking ball. Ohtani threw a slider up and he sent it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his initial long hit of the series and his 7th homer this postseason – a fresh club mark – restoring the Toronto's advantage after 13 scoreless frames and shifting the momentum of the game.

Ohtani's Night

That hit also halted Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 consecutive at-bats reaching base. The dual-threat phenomenon had hit two homers and reached safely a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 walk-off. But on that night, he took the mound on short rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the prior marathon.

Ohtani pitch speed was under his regular-season norm and he struggled more as the contest wore on. Nonetheless, he displayed glimpses of his typical command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first to continue his World Series streak. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six base hits and four runs were charged to him in over six innings.

Seventh Inning Surge

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

Daulton Varsho started the seventh inning with a sharp hit to right field, and Ernie Clement smashed a two-base hit off the wall to put runners on with none out. Roberts had no option but to remove the starter, who departed to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not complete the escape.

Banda inherited the mess and right away fell behind. Giménez fought to a full count before scoring the runner with a single to left. Ty France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock Banda out of the game. Treinen entered next but also failed to stem the rally: Bichette and Addison Barger punched run-scoring singles through the diamond, completing a four-run barrage that extended the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Blue Jays's ability to absorb initial blows and respond has defined their entire postseason. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order hitter who left Game 3 after tweaking his oblique.

Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what Toronto needed. Traded for mid-season while completing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the former Cy Young winner stranded multiple baserunners and silenced the Los Angeles' potent batting order. He allowed one run on four hits and three walks before Schneider summoned first-year left-hander Mason Fluharty to confront the heart of the order in the sixth inning. Fluharty required just 4 throws to retire Muncy and Edman, protecting a fragile advantage that quickly grew safe.

Converted starter Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' bats kept to struggle. The Dodgers have produced only 3 runs over their previous 20 frames, an sudden slowdown for a team that ranked among baseball's top lineups all season.

Final Moments

The Dodgers scraped a run in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman grounded out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Muncy's double put runners aboard. But Varland finished the game without allowing a comeback to build.

Following a night when the Blue Jays left a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after wave upon wave of wasted opportunities, Game 4 was brutally efficient. 6 different Toronto players recorded hits, 5 drove in scores and the team converted nearly every scoring chance available in the late stanzas.

Next Up

The win guarantees the World Series trophy will be presented at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not won a title since Joe Carter's famous game-winning home run in '93. They now are aware they are assured a packed house in Canada on Friday night – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what happens next in LA.

Game 5 approaches with the series even and momentum swinging to Toronto. Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Blue Jays's surge. The Blue Jays respond with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Toronto chased Snell quickly in an 11-4 win.