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

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

The Blue Jays had spent the morning of the next day dealing with their marathon Game 3 loss – equal to the longest Fall Classic contest ever – a loss that denied them the chance to lead the series and burned through both bullpens. Skipper John Schneider insisted afterwards that “they took a contest, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad provided convincing evidence.

Early Innings

The Dodgers again struck first. Muncy drew a walk in the second, moved up on a single and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial score did not shake a Blue Jays team that led MLB with 49 come-from-behind victories this year.

They responded right away in the third. Lukes lined a one away single to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate looking for a curveball. Shohei Ohtani left a slider up and he sent it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his initial extra-base hit of the series and his seventh homer this playoffs – a fresh club mark – restoring the Toronto's advantage after 13 shutout frames and changing the tone of the night.

Ohtani's Performance

That hit also halted Shohei Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 straight plate appearances reaching base. The dual-threat star had smashed two homers and reached safely a record nine times in the Los Angeles' third game walk-off. But on that night, he started on short rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the prior marathon.

His pitch speed sat below his regular-season norm and he struggled more as the game wore on. Nonetheless, he showed glimpses of his typical control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and striking out six. He even walked in the first inning to extend 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.

Late Game Rally

The larger issue for the Dodgers was what followed when he eventually ran out of energy.

Varsho opened the seventh inning with a clean single to right field, and Clement drilled a two-base hit off the fence to put runners on with no outs. Dave Roberts had no option but to pull Ohtani, who departed to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not complete the inning.

Banda came into the jam and immediately trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez battled to a full count before scoring the runner with a base hit to left field. France followed 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 failed to stem the rally: Bo Bichette and Barger punched run-scoring base hits through the infield, completing a four-score outburst that extended the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Toronto's ability to absorb initial blows and respond has defined their entire run. They once again succeeded without Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order hitter who left the third game after straining his oblique.

Bieber, meanwhile, was everything Toronto needed. Traded for during the summer while finishing recovery from elbow surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner left several runners and silenced the Los Angeles' dangerous lineup. He gave up one run on four hits and three walks before Schneider called on rookie left-hander Mason Fluharty to face the core of the lineup in the sixth inning. Fluharty needed just 4 pitches to retire Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a narrow advantage that soon became comfortable.

Former starter Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' bats kept to struggle. Los Angeles have scored only 3 scores over their last 20 frames, an abrupt downturn for a club that ranked among baseball's top lineups all season.

Closing Moments

The Dodgers scraped a score in the ninth inning when Edman grounded out to bring home Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's two-base hit put two on base. But Louis Varland finished the game without permitting a rally to build.

After a game when Toronto left a World Series-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after wave upon wave of wasted chances, Game 4 was ruthlessly efficient. Six different Blue Jays recorded base hits, five drove in runs and the squad cashed almost every scoring chance presented in the late innings.

Looking Ahead

The win guarantees the championship trophy will be presented at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not won a championship since Carter's iconic game-winning homer in '93. They now know they are assured a full house in Canada on Friday night – and possibly the next day – no matter what occurs next in LA.

The fifth game approaches with the matchup reset and momentum shifting north. Dodgers pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Toronto's surge. Toronto respond with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Blue Jays chased Snell early in an decisive win.