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Only 24 hours following staggering through one of the most exhausting defeats in Fall Classic history, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed complete command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run homer and Bieber delivered a composed outing as the Blue Jays beat the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, squaring the World Series at two wins apiece and ensuring the series will return to Canada.

The Blue Jays had spent the early hours of Tuesday processing their marathon Game 3 loss – tied for the lengthiest Fall Classic contest ever – a loss that denied them the chance to lead the series and depleted both relief corps. Manager John Schneider stated later that “the Dodgers won a game, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad offered emphatic proof.

Initial Action

The Dodgers again struck first. Muncy walked in the second inning, advanced on a single and crossed the plate on Hernández's fly out. But the initial breakthrough did not shake a Blue Jays club that topped MLB with 49 comeback wins this year.

They answered right away in the third. Nathan Lukes hit a one away single to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in hunting a curveball. Ohtani threw a slider up and he drove it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his first long hit of the series and his seventh homer this postseason – a new team record – restoring the Toronto's lead after 13 shutout frames and changing the tone of the night.

Shohei's Night

That hit also halted Shohei Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 straight at-bats reaching base. The two-way phenomenon had smashed two homers and got on base a record nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 walk-off. But on Tuesday, he started on short rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the previous marathon.

Ohtani fastball velocity was below his regular-season average and he struggled more as the contest progressed. Even so, he showed flashes of his usual command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to extend his Fall Classic record. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six base hits and four runs were credited to him in six-plus innings.

Late Game Rally

The larger problem for Los Angeles was what followed when Ohtani finally lost energy.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh with a sharp single to right field, and Ernie Clement drilled a double off the fence to put two on with no outs. Roberts had no option but to remove the starter, who departed to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not finish the escape.

Anthony Banda came into the jam and right away trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before scoring the runner with a single to left field. France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove the pitcher out of the contest. Blake Treinen came in next but also was unable to stop the momentum: Bichette and Addison Barger hit run-scoring singles through the diamond, capping a four-run outburst that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Blue Jays's capacity to absorb early blows and answer has characterized their whole run. They once again did it without George Springer, the injured top-of-the-order hitter who left the third game after straining his oblique.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what Toronto required. Traded for mid-season while finishing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the ex- award-winning winner left several runners and silenced the Dodgers' dangerous batting order. He gave up one run on four hits and three walks before the manager called on first-year pitcher Fluharty to face the core of the order in the sixth. Fluharty needed just four pitches to retire Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a fragile lead that soon grew comfortable.

Former starter Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' offense kept to struggle. The Dodgers have scored only three runs over their last 20 frames, an abrupt downturn for a team that ranked among MLB's top offenses all season.

Closing Innings

The Los Angeles managed a run in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman hit into an out to score Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's two-base hit put two on base. But Varland finished the game without permitting a comeback to build.

Following a game when the Blue Jays stranded a World Series-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after repeated of missed opportunities, Game 4 was ruthlessly efficient. Six different Toronto players collected hits, 5 drove in runs and the squad converted almost every run-scoring opportunity presented in the final stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The victory guarantees the World Series trophy will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not celebrated a championship since Carter's iconic game-winning home run in '93. They now know they are assured a full house in Toronto on Friday evening – and perhaps the next day – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 looms with the series reset and energy shifting north. Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Blue Jays's momentum. The Blue Jays counter with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Blue Jays knocked out Snell quickly in an decisive victory.