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Only 24 hours after enduring one of the most exhausting defeats in World Series history, the Blue Jays played with total control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber delivered a composed outing as Toronto defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, tying the World Series at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Canada.

Toronto had passed the early hours of Tuesday dealing with their 18-inning third game defeat – tied for the lengthiest World Series contest ever – a loss that cost them the opportunity to take the lead in the series and depleted both relief corps. Manager Schneider stated afterwards that “the Dodgers won a contest, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad provided emphatic evidence.

Early Action

The Dodgers again struck first. Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, moved up on a single and scored on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial breakthrough did not shake a Blue Jays team that topped Major League Baseball with 49 comeback victories this year.

They answered immediately in the third. Lukes hit a one away single to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in looking for a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani threw a sweeper up and Guerrero drove it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his first extra-base hit of the World Series and his 7th homer this playoffs – a new club mark – regaining the Toronto's advantage after 13 shutout innings and shifting the momentum of the night.

Shohei's Night

That swing also ended Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 straight at-bats reaching base. The two-way phenomenon had hit two home runs and reached safely a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 comeback win. But on Tuesday, he started on short rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the prior extra-inning game.

Ohtani pitch speed sat under his seasonal average and he labored more as the game wore on. Nonetheless, he displayed flashes of his typical control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and fanning six. He even walked in the first inning to continue his World Series record. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six base hits and four earned runs were credited to him in over six frames.

Seventh Inning Surge

The larger problem for the Dodgers was what followed when Ohtani finally ran out of energy.

Varsho opened the seventh with a clean hit to right field, and Clement drilled a two-base hit off the wall to put two on with none out. Dave Roberts had no option but to remove Ohtani, who exited to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Dodgers' bullpen could not finish the escape.

Banda came into the jam and immediately trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before driving in the runner with a single to left field. France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock Banda out of the game. Blake Treinen came in next but also was unable to stem the rally: Bichette and Barger punched RBI singles through the diamond, completing a four-score barrage that extended the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Blue Jays's ability to absorb initial blows and answer has defined their whole run. They once again did it without George Springer, the injured leadoff man who exited the third game after straining his oblique.

Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what Toronto required. Traded for mid-season while completing rehab from elbow surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner left several runners and quieted the Dodgers' potent lineup. He gave up one run on four base hits and three free passes before the manager called on first-year left-hander Mason Fluharty to face the core of the order in the sixth inning. Fluharty required just 4 throws to retire Max Muncy and Edman, protecting a narrow lead that quickly grew comfortable.

Converted starter Chris Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' bats continued to struggle. The Dodgers have scored only three runs over their previous 20 innings, an sudden downturn for a club that was among baseball's top lineups all season.

Closing Moments

The Los Angeles scraped a score in the ninth inning when Edman grounded out to score Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's double put two aboard. But Varland closed it down without permitting a comeback to build.

Following a night when Toronto left a World Series-record 19 runners and fell apart after repeated of wasted chances, the fourth contest was brutally efficient. 6 different Blue Jays collected base hits, 5 drove in runs and the team converted almost every run-scoring opportunity presented in the late innings.

Next Up

The win ensures the World Series title will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a championship since Joe Carter's famous walk-off home run in 1993. They now are aware they are assured a packed crowd in Toronto on Friday evening – and possibly Saturday – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game approaches with the series even and energy swinging to Toronto. Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Toronto's momentum. The Blue Jays respond with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Toronto knocked out the starter early in an 11-4 win.