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Only 24 hours following enduring one of the most exhausting losses in Fall Classic annals, the Blue Jays played with total control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber delivered a composed outing as the Blue Jays defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, squaring the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and ensuring the series will return to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had spent the early hours of Tuesday dealing with their 18-inning third game defeat – equal to the lengthiest World Series game ever – a defeat that cost them the chance to take the lead in the series and burned through both bullpens. Manager Schneider insisted afterwards that “they won a contest, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his team offered convincing evidence.

Early Action

The Los Angeles again scored first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, advanced on a base hit and crossed the plate on Hernández's fly out. But the initial breakthrough did not shake a Blue Jays team that led MLB with 49 comeback victories this season.

They responded immediately in the third. Nathan Lukes hit a one-out single to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in looking for a breaking ball. Ohtani threw a sweeper up and Guerrero sent it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his initial extra-base hit of the World Series and his 7th homer this playoffs – a new club mark – restoring the Toronto's lead after 13 shutout innings and changing the tone of the game.

Shohei's Performance

That hit also halted Shohei Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 straight plate appearances getting on base. The two-way star had hit two home runs and got on base a record nine times in the Los Angeles' third game comeback win. But on that night, he started on short rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the prior marathon.

Ohtani fastball velocity was under his seasonal norm and he labored more as the game wore on. Nonetheless, he displayed glimpses of his usual control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and striking out six. He even walked in the first inning to continue his Fall Classic streak. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six base hits and four runs were credited to him in over six innings.

Late Game Surge

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

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh inning with a sharp hit to right, and Ernie Clement smashed a two-base hit off the fence to put two on with no outs. Dave Roberts had little choice but to pull Ohtani, who exited to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Dodgers' relief corps could not complete the inning.

Banda inherited the jam and right away trailed in the count. Giménez fought to a full count before scoring the runner with a base hit to left field. France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove Banda out of the game. Blake Treinen came in next but also was unable to stop the rally: Bichette and Barger hit RBI singles through the infield, capping a four-run barrage that extended the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Blue Jays's capacity to absorb early setbacks and respond has characterized their entire postseason. They once again did it without George Springer, the injured leadoff hitter who left the third game after tweaking his right side.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what Toronto required. Acquired mid-season while finishing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the former Cy Young winner stranded multiple runners and silenced the Dodgers' potent batting order. He allowed one earned run on four hits and three walks before Schneider called on first-year left-hander Mason Fluharty to face the core of the lineup in the sixth. He required just 4 pitches to retire Muncy and Edman, preserving a narrow advantage that quickly became comfortable.

Converted starter Chris Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' bats continued to sputter. The Dodgers have scored only 3 scores over their previous 20 frames, an abrupt slowdown for a club that was among MLB's top lineups all year.

Final Innings

The Dodgers managed a score in the ninth when Tommy Edman grounded out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Muncy's two-base hit put runners on base. But Louis Varland closed it down without permitting a rally to develop.

Following a game when Toronto stranded a World Series-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after repeated of missed opportunities, the fourth contest was ruthlessly effective. Six separate Toronto players collected base hits, five drove in scores and the team cashed almost every run-scoring opportunity available in the final stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The victory ensures the championship title will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not won a championship since Joe Carter's iconic walk-off homer in '93. They now are aware they are assured a full crowd in Canada on Friday night – and possibly Saturday – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 looms with the matchup reset and energy shifting to Toronto. Los Angeles left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Blue Jays's momentum. The Blue Jays respond with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Toronto chased Snell early in an 11-4 win.