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Less than a day after staggering through one of the most exhausting defeats in Fall Classic history, the Blue Jays played with complete control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber provided a composed outing as Toronto defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, squaring the World Series at two wins apiece and ensuring the series will return to Canada.

Toronto had passed the early hours of the next day processing their 18-inning Game 3 loss – tied for the longest World Series contest ever – a defeat that denied them the opportunity to lead the matchup and burned through both bullpens. Skipper John Schneider stated afterwards that “the Dodgers took a contest, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad provided emphatic proof.

Early Action

The Los Angeles again scored first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second, moved up on a base hit and scored on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial score did not shake a Toronto club that led MLB with 49 comeback victories this year.

They responded right away in the third inning. Lukes hit a one-out single to centre and Guerrero came to the plate hunting a curveball. Shohei Ohtani left a slider up and he drove it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his initial extra-base hit of the series and his seventh home run this playoffs – a fresh team record – restoring the Toronto's lead after 13 shutout innings and changing the momentum of the game.

Ohtani's Night

That hit also ended Shohei Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 consecutive at-bats reaching base. The dual-threat star had smashed two home runs and reached safely a historic nine times in the Dodgers' third game walk-off. But on Tuesday, he started on limited rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the prior marathon.

His fastball velocity sat under his regular-season norm and he labored more as the contest progressed. Even so, he displayed flashes of his usual control, setting down 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 Toronto made him work: six base hits and four runs were credited to him in six-plus innings.

Seventh Inning Surge

The bigger issue for the Dodgers was what followed when Ohtani eventually ran out of steam.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh with a clean single to right field, and Clement smashed a two-base hit off the fence to put two on with none out. Dave Roberts had no option but to pull Ohtani, who departed to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Dodgers' relief corps could not finish the escape.

Anthony Banda came into the mess and right away trailed in the count. Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before scoring 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 contest. Blake Treinen entered next but also failed to stem the momentum: Bichette and Barger hit run-scoring singles through the infield, capping a four-score barrage that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Toronto's ability to withstand initial blows and respond has defined their whole run. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the injured leadoff hitter who left Game 3 after straining his right side.

Bieber, meanwhile, was everything the Blue Jays required. Traded for mid-season while finishing rehab from elbow surgery, the former Cy Young winner stranded multiple runners and quieted the Dodgers' dangerous lineup. He allowed one run on four base hits and three free passes before the manager summoned first-year left-hander Mason Fluharty to confront the heart of the lineup in the sixth inning. Fluharty needed just 4 pitches to retire Max Muncy and Edman, preserving a narrow lead that quickly grew comfortable.

Converted starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' offense continued to sputter. The Dodgers have scored only three scores over their previous 20 innings, an sudden slowdown for a club that ranked among MLB's elite lineups all season.

Final Innings

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

Following a game when Toronto left a World Series-record 19 runners and collapsed after repeated of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was ruthlessly effective. Six different Blue Jays recorded base hits, five brought home runs and the squad cashed almost every scoring chance available in the final stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The victory guarantees the championship title will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not won a title since Carter's iconic walk-off home run in '93. They now know they are assured a packed house in Toronto on Friday evening – and possibly Saturday – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 approaches with the series even and momentum swinging north. Los Angeles left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Toronto's momentum. The Blue Jays respond with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Blue Jays chased Snell early in an 11-4 victory.