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Only 24 hours after enduring one of the most draining defeats in World Series annals, the Blue Jays played with complete command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run home run and Bieber delivered a composed start as Toronto beat the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, tying the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Canada.

The Blue Jays had spent the early hours of the next day processing their marathon Game 3 loss – tied for the lengthiest Fall Classic contest ever – a defeat that denied them the opportunity to take the lead in the series and depleted both bullpens. Manager John Schneider stated later that “the Dodgers took a game, not the championship”. A day later, his team offered emphatic proof.

Initial Action

The Dodgers again struck first. Max Muncy walked in the second, advanced on a single and crossed the plate on Hernández's fly out. But the initial breakthrough did not shake a Blue Jays team that led Major League Baseball with 49 comeback wins this season.

They responded immediately in the third inning. Nathan Lukes lined a one-out base hit to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in looking for a curveball. Shohei Ohtani threw a slider up and Guerrero sent it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his first long hit of the World Series and his 7th home run this playoffs – a new club record – restoring the Toronto's advantage after 13 shutout frames and changing the tone of the game.

Shohei's Performance

That swing also ended Ohtani's history-making run of 11 consecutive plate appearances getting on base. The two-way phenomenon had smashed two home runs and got on base a record nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 comeback win. But on that night, he started on limited rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the previous marathon.

His fastball velocity sat below his seasonal average and he labored more as the contest progressed. Nonetheless, he showed flashes of his typical control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and fanning six. He even walked in the first to extend his World Series record. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six hits and four earned runs were charged to him in over six frames.

Late Game Rally

The larger problem for Los Angeles was what followed when Ohtani eventually ran out of steam.

Varsho opened the seventh with a sharp hit to right field, and Ernie Clement smashed a double off the fence to put two on with no outs. Dave Roberts had little choice but to pull the starter, who exited to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not finish the escape.

Anthony Banda came into the mess and right away trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez battled to a full count before scoring the runner with a base hit to left field. Ty France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock the pitcher out of the game. Blake Treinen entered next but also failed to stem the rally: Bichette and Barger punched RBI base hits through the diamond, capping a four-score outburst that extended the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Toronto's capacity to absorb early setbacks and respond has characterized their entire postseason. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the injured leadoff hitter who left Game 3 after tweaking his oblique.

Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what the Blue Jays required. Acquired mid-season while completing rehab from elbow surgery, the ex- award-winning winner left several baserunners and quieted the Dodgers' potent batting order. He gave up one earned run on four hits and three walks before the manager called on rookie pitcher Mason Fluharty to face the core of the order in the sixth inning. Fluharty required just four pitches to get out Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a fragile advantage that soon became comfortable.

Converted starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' offense kept to sputter. The Dodgers have scored only 3 runs over their last 20 innings, an sudden slowdown for a club that was among MLB's top lineups all season.

Closing Moments

The Dodgers scraped a run in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman hit into an out to score Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's two-base hit put runners aboard. But Varland finished the game without allowing a comeback to build.

After a game when the Blue Jays stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after repeated of missed opportunities, the fourth contest was ruthlessly efficient. Six different Toronto players collected base hits, five drove in runs and the team cashed almost every run-scoring opportunity available in the final stanzas.

Next Up

The win ensures the World Series trophy will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not won a championship since Joe Carter's iconic game-winning home run in 1993. They now are aware they are assured a packed house in Canada on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what occurs next in LA.

The fifth game looms with the matchup even and energy swinging north. Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Blue Jays's surge. Toronto counter with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Blue Jays chased Snell early in an decisive victory.