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Less than a day following enduring one of the most exhausting defeats in Fall Classic history, the Blue Jays displayed complete command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber delivered a composed start as Toronto defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, tying the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Canada.

Toronto had spent the early hours of the next day dealing with their 18-inning third game defeat – equal to the lengthiest World Series contest ever – a defeat that cost them the opportunity to take the lead in the matchup and burned through both bullpens. Manager Schneider stated later that “they won a contest, not the World Series”. A day later, his squad provided emphatic proof.

Initial Innings

The Dodgers again scored first. Max Muncy walked in the second inning, advanced on a base hit and scored on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early breakthrough did not shake a Toronto team that topped MLB with 49 comeback wins this year.

They responded immediately in the third. Lukes hit a one away base hit to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate looking for a curveball. Shohei Ohtani left a sweeper up and Guerrero sent it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his initial extra-base hit of the World Series and his 7th home run this playoffs – a fresh club record – regaining the Toronto's lead after 13 shutout frames and changing the tone of the game.

Shohei's Night

That swing also halted Ohtani's history-making run of 11 straight plate appearances reaching base. The dual-threat phenomenon had smashed two homers and got on base a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' third game walk-off. But on that night, he took the mound on limited rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the prior extra-inning game.

Ohtani pitch speed was below his regular-season average and he struggled more as the contest wore on. Even so, he displayed flashes of his usual control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and striking out six. He even walked in the first inning to extend his World Series record. But the Blue Jays made him work: six hits and four earned runs were charged to him in six-plus innings.

Late Game Surge

The larger problem for Los Angeles was what followed when Ohtani finally ran out of energy.

Daulton Varsho started the seventh with a clean single to right field, and Clement drilled a double off the wall to put two on with none out. Roberts had little choice but to remove the starter, who exited to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Dodgers' relief corps could not finish the inning.

Anthony Banda inherited the jam and immediately fell behind. Giménez fought to a full count before scoring Varsho with a single to left. Ty France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock the pitcher out of the contest. Blake Treinen came in next but also failed to stop the rally: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger punched run-scoring singles through the infield, capping a four-run barrage that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Toronto's ability to absorb initial setbacks and respond has characterized their whole postseason. They once again did it without George Springer, the hurt leadoff man who exited Game 3 after tweaking his right side.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what Toronto required. Traded for during the summer while finishing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the ex- award-winning winner left several baserunners and silenced the Dodgers' dangerous lineup. He gave up one run on four hits and three free passes before the manager summoned first-year pitcher Fluharty to face the heart of the order in the sixth. Fluharty required just 4 throws to retire Max Muncy and Edman, preserving a narrow advantage that quickly became safe.

Converted starting pitcher Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' offense kept to struggle. The Dodgers have produced only three scores over their previous 20 innings, an abrupt slowdown for a team that ranked among MLB's elite offenses all year.

Final Moments

The Los Angeles managed a run in the ninth when Tommy Edman hit into an out to score Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's double put runners on base. But Varland closed it down without allowing a rally to build.

Following a game when Toronto left a World Series-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after wave upon wave of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was brutally effective. Six different Toronto players recorded base hits, 5 brought home runs and the squad cashed almost every run-scoring opportunity available in the late stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The win ensures the World Series title will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a title since Joe Carter's famous game-winning homer in '93. They now know they are assured a full house in Canada on Friday night – and perhaps the next day – no matter what happens next in LA.

Game 5 approaches with the series reset and momentum shifting north. Los Angeles pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Blue Jays's surge. Toronto respond with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Blue Jays knocked out the starter quickly in an decisive win.