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

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber delivered a composed outing as Toronto beat the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, squaring the Fall Classic at two games each and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Toronto.

Toronto had passed the morning of the next day processing their 18-inning Game 3 loss – equal to the lengthiest World Series contest ever – a defeat that denied them the chance to take the lead in the matchup and depleted both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider stated later that “the Dodgers took a contest, not the championship”. A day later, his team offered emphatic proof.

Initial Action

The Los Angeles again struck first. Muncy walked in the second inning, moved up on a base hit and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial breakthrough did not rattle a Toronto club that topped Major League Baseball with 49 comeback victories this year.

They responded immediately in the third inning. Lukes lined a one-out base hit to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate looking for a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani threw a slider up and Guerrero sent it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his initial long hit of the World Series and his 7th home run this postseason – a new club mark – regaining the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 scoreless innings and shifting the tone of the night.

Ohtani's Night

That swing also ended Shohei Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 straight at-bats getting on base. The dual-threat phenomenon had smashed two home runs and got on base a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 comeback win. But on that night, he started on short rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the previous extra-inning game.

Ohtani pitch speed was under his seasonal norm and he struggled more as the game wore on. Even so, he displayed flashes of his usual control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to continue his World Series record. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six hits and four runs were credited to him in six-plus frames.

Seventh Inning Rally

The bigger problem for the Dodgers was what came next when Ohtani eventually ran out of steam.

Daulton Varsho started the seventh inning with a clean single to right, and Clement smashed a two-base hit off the wall to put runners on with none out. Roberts had little choice but to remove the starter, who exited to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not finish the inning.

Anthony Banda came into the jam and immediately fell behind. Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before scoring the runner with a base hit to left field. Ty France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove the pitcher out of the game. Treinen entered next but also was unable to stem the rally: Bichette and Addison Barger hit RBI singles through the diamond, completing a four-score outburst that extended the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Toronto's ability to absorb early setbacks and respond has defined their whole postseason. They once again succeeded without Springer, the injured top-of-the-order man who exited the third game after straining his oblique.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what the Blue Jays needed. Traded for mid-season while completing rehab from elbow surgery, the former Cy Young winner left multiple baserunners and silenced the Dodgers' potent lineup. He gave up one run on four base hits and three walks before the manager called on rookie pitcher Fluharty to confront the core of the order in the sixth. He needed just 4 throws to get out Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a fragile advantage that quickly grew safe.

Converted starter Chris Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' offense continued to sputter. The Dodgers have scored only three runs over their last 20 frames, an abrupt downturn for a team that ranked among MLB's top lineups all year.

Final Innings

The Dodgers managed a run in the ninth when Edman hit into an out to score Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's double put runners on base. But Varland finished the game without permitting a comeback to build.

After a night when the Blue Jays stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after wave upon wave of wasted opportunities, Game 4 was brutally efficient. 6 different Toronto players collected base hits, five brought home scores and the team converted almost every scoring opportunity available in the final innings.

Looking Ahead

The win ensures the championship trophy will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not celebrated a title since Carter's iconic walk-off home run in 1993. They now are aware they are assured a packed crowd in Toronto on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what happens next in LA.

Game 5 approaches with the matchup reset and momentum swinging north. Los Angeles left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Blue Jays's momentum. Toronto counter with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Blue Jays chased the starter early in an 11-4 win.