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Only 24 hours following enduring one of the most exhausting losses in World Series history, the Toronto Blue Jays played with complete control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run homer and Bieber provided a composed start as Toronto defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, tying the World Series at two games each and ensuring the matchup will return to Canada.

Toronto had spent the morning of the next day processing their 18-inning Game 3 loss – equal to the lengthiest Fall Classic game ever – a defeat that cost them the opportunity to take the lead in the series and burned through both bullpens. Skipper Schneider stated afterwards that “they took a contest, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad offered convincing proof.

Early Innings

The Los Angeles again scored first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second, advanced on a base hit and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial breakthrough did not rattle a Toronto team that led Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind wins this year.

They responded right away in the third inning. Nathan Lukes lined a one away single to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate hunting a breaking ball. Ohtani left a sweeper up and he drove it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his first extra-base hit of the World Series and his 7th homer this postseason – a new club record – regaining the Blue Jays's lead after 13 shutout frames and changing the momentum of the night.

Ohtani's Night

That hit also ended Shohei Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 straight plate appearances getting on base. The two-way star had hit two homers and reached safely 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 recover from the previous extra-inning game.

Ohtani fastball velocity was below his regular-season average and he struggled more as the game progressed. Even so, he showed glimpses of his usual control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to extend his World Series record. But the Blue Jays made him work: six hits and four runs were credited to him in over six innings.

Seventh Inning Rally

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

Daulton Varsho started the seventh with a sharp single to right, and Ernie Clement smashed a two-base hit off the wall to put two on with none out. Roberts had little choice but to pull Ohtani, who departed to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not finish the escape.

Anthony Banda inherited the jam and right away trailed in the count. Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before scoring Varsho with a base hit to left field. France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock Banda out of the contest. Treinen came in next but also was unable to stop the momentum: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger punched RBI base hits through the diamond, completing a four-score outburst that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Blue Jays's capacity to absorb initial blows and respond has defined their entire run. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the injured top-of-the-order man who exited Game 3 after straining his oblique.

Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what the Blue Jays needed. Traded for during the summer while finishing rehab from elbow surgery, the former Cy Young winner stranded several baserunners and silenced the Dodgers' potent lineup. He gave up one run on four hits and three free passes before Schneider called on first-year left-hander Mason Fluharty to confront the heart of the order in the sixth. Fluharty required just four throws to get out Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a narrow advantage that soon grew safe.

Converted starter Chris Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' offense kept to struggle. The Dodgers have scored only 3 scores over their previous 20 innings, an abrupt slowdown for a club that ranked among baseball's top lineups all year.

Final Moments

The Los Angeles scraped a score in the ninth when Edman grounded out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's two-base hit put runners on base. But Louis Varland closed it down without allowing a rally to build.

After a night when the Blue Jays stranded a World Series-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after wave upon wave of wasted opportunities, Game 4 was ruthlessly effective. 6 different Blue Jays collected hits, 5 drove in scores and the team converted nearly every run-scoring chance presented in the final stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The win ensures the championship title will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not won a title since Carter's iconic game-winning homer in 1993. They now know they are assured a full crowd in Toronto on Friday evening – and perhaps the next day – no matter what occurs next in LA.

Game 5 approaches with the series even and energy swinging north. Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Blue Jays's momentum. The Blue Jays counter with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Blue Jays knocked out the starter quickly in an decisive win.