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Only 24 hours following enduring one of the most draining losses in World Series annals, the Blue Jays played with total control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run home run and Bieber provided a composed outing as the Blue Jays beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, tying the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the matchup will return to Canada.

The Blue Jays had spent the morning of the next day processing their 18-inning Game 3 loss – tied for the lengthiest Fall Classic contest ever – a defeat that cost them the opportunity to take the lead in the series and depleted both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider insisted later that “the Dodgers took a contest, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad offered convincing evidence.

Initial Innings

The Los Angeles again scored first. Max Muncy walked in the second inning, advanced on a single and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the initial breakthrough did not shake a Blue Jays team that led Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind wins this season.

They answered immediately in the third inning. Nathan Lukes lined a one-out single to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate looking for a breaking ball. Ohtani threw a sweeper up and Guerrero drove it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his initial extra-base hit of the World Series and his 7th homer this postseason – a fresh club record – regaining the Toronto's advantage after 13 scoreless innings and changing the tone of the night.

Shohei's Performance

That hit also ended Shohei Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 straight at-bats reaching base. The dual-threat star had smashed two home runs and got on base a historic nine times in the Dodgers' third game comeback win. But on that night, he took the mound on limited rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the previous marathon.

His pitch speed was below his regular-season norm and he struggled more as the contest progressed. Even so, he displayed glimpses of his typical command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and fanning six. He even walked in the first inning to continue his Fall Classic streak. But the Toronto made him work: six base hits and four runs were credited to him in six-plus frames.

Late Game Surge

The bigger problem for Los Angeles was what came next when Ohtani eventually ran out of energy.

Daulton Varsho started the seventh with a sharp hit to right, and Ernie Clement drilled a two-base hit off the wall to put runners on with no outs. Roberts had no option but to pull the starter, who departed to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not finish the escape.

Anthony Banda inherited the mess and immediately trailed in the count. Giménez fought to a full count before scoring Varsho with a base hit to left. France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove the pitcher out of the game. Treinen came in next but also failed to stem the momentum: Bo Bichette and Barger hit run-scoring base hits through the infield, completing a four-run barrage that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Toronto's ability to absorb initial blows and respond has characterized their entire postseason. They once again did it without George Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order man who left Game 3 after tweaking his right side.

Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what the Blue Jays needed. Traded for mid-season while finishing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the former Cy Young winner left several runners and quieted the Los Angeles' potent batting order. He gave up one earned run on four hits and three free passes before Schneider summoned first-year left-hander Mason Fluharty to confront the heart of the lineup in the sixth. He needed just four pitches to get out Max Muncy and Edman, preserving a fragile advantage that quickly became safe.

Converted starting pitcher Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' offense kept to sputter. The Dodgers have scored only 3 runs over their last 20 innings, an abrupt downturn for a club that ranked among MLB's top lineups all season.

Final Moments

The Los Angeles managed a score in the ninth when Edman grounded out to bring home Hernández after a walk and Muncy's double put two aboard. But Varland finished the game without allowing a comeback to build.

After a game when Toronto left a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and collapsed after wave upon wave of missed chances, Game 4 was ruthlessly effective. Six different Toronto players collected base hits, five brought home scores and the squad converted nearly every run-scoring opportunity available in the late stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The win guarantees the championship trophy will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not won a championship since Joe Carter's iconic walk-off home run in '93. They now know they are assured a packed crowd in Toronto on Friday evening – and possibly Saturday – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game approaches with the series even and momentum swinging north. Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Toronto's momentum. Toronto respond with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Blue Jays chased the starter quickly in an 11-4 victory.