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Only 24 hours after enduring one of the most exhausting defeats in Fall Classic history, the Toronto Blue Jays played with complete control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run homer and Bieber delivered a composed start as Toronto beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, tying the Fall Classic at two games each and ensuring the matchup will head back to Toronto.

Toronto had passed the early hours of the next day dealing with their 18-inning Game 3 loss – tied for the lengthiest World Series contest ever – a defeat that denied them the opportunity to take the lead in the matchup and depleted both bullpens. Manager Schneider stated later that “they took a game, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad provided convincing proof.

Initial Innings

The Los Angeles again struck first. Muncy walked in the second, moved up on a base hit and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early breakthrough did not shake a Toronto club that led MLB with 49 comeback wins this season.

They answered right away in the third. Nathan Lukes hit a one away base hit to center field and Guerrero stepped in hunting a curveball. Ohtani left a slider up and Guerrero sent it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his initial extra-base hit of the World Series and his 7th home run this postseason – a fresh club mark – restoring the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 shutout innings and changing the momentum of the night.

Shohei's Performance

That hit also halted Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 straight plate appearances reaching base. The two-way star had smashed two homers and got on base a record nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 comeback win. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on short rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the prior marathon.

His fastball velocity sat below his seasonal norm and he labored more as the game progressed. Nonetheless, he displayed glimpses of his usual control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and striking out six. He even walked in the first inning to continue his World Series streak. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six hits and four runs were credited to him in six-plus innings.

Late Game Rally

The bigger issue for Los Angeles was what followed when Ohtani eventually ran out of steam.

Daulton Varsho started the seventh with a sharp hit to right field, and Ernie Clement smashed a two-base hit off the wall to put runners on with no outs. Dave Roberts had no option but to pull the starter, who exited to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Dodgers' relief corps could not finish the escape.

Anthony Banda inherited the jam and immediately trailed in the count. Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before scoring Varsho with a base hit to left. France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock Banda out of the contest. Treinen entered next but also failed to stem the rally: Bichette and Addison Barger hit RBI singles through the infield, capping a four-run barrage that extended the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Blue Jays's capacity to withstand early setbacks and respond has defined their whole postseason. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the injured leadoff man who left Game 3 after straining his oblique.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what the Blue Jays needed. Traded for mid-season while finishing recovery from elbow surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner stranded several runners and silenced the Dodgers' potent batting order. He allowed one run on four base hits and three free passes before Schneider summoned first-year pitcher Mason Fluharty to confront the core of the lineup in the sixth. Fluharty needed just four throws to retire Max Muncy and Edman, protecting a narrow lead that soon became comfortable.

Former starter Chris Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' bats kept to struggle. The Dodgers have produced only 3 runs over their last 20 innings, an sudden slowdown for a team that was among baseball's elite offenses all season.

Closing Moments

The Dodgers scraped a run in the ninth when Edman grounded out to score Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Muncy's double put runners on base. But Varland finished the game without permitting a comeback to develop.

After a game when the Blue Jays left a World Series-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after repeated of missed chances, the fourth contest was ruthlessly effective. 6 separate Blue Jays collected hits, five brought home runs and the team converted nearly every scoring opportunity presented in the late stanzas.

Next Up

The win ensures the World Series title will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not won a title since Joe Carter's famous game-winning homer in 1993. They now know they are guaranteed a packed crowd in Toronto on Friday evening – and possibly Saturday – no matter what happens next in LA.

The fifth game looms with the series even and momentum swinging north. Los Angeles left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Blue Jays's momentum. Toronto counter with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Toronto knocked out the starter quickly in an 11-4 win.