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Only 24 hours following staggering through one of the most exhausting losses in World Series history, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed complete control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber delivered a steady outing as Toronto beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, tying the World Series at two wins apiece and ensuring the matchup will return to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had spent the early hours of Tuesday processing their marathon Game 3 loss – tied for the longest Fall Classic game ever – a loss that cost them the chance to take the lead in the matchup and depleted both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider stated later that “they took a game, not the championship”. A day later, his team provided convincing proof.

Early Action

The Los Angeles again struck first. Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, advanced on a base hit and scored on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the initial breakthrough did not shake a Blue Jays team that led MLB with 49 come-from-behind victories this year.

They answered immediately in the third. Nathan Lukes lined a one-out base hit to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate hunting a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani threw a sweeper up and Guerrero drove it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his first long hit of the World Series and his 7th homer this postseason – a new team mark – regaining the Toronto's lead after 13 shutout frames and shifting the momentum of the night.

Shohei's Night

That swing also ended Shohei Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 consecutive plate appearances reaching base. The two-way phenomenon had smashed two homers and reached safely a record nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 comeback win. But on that night, he took the mound on short rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the prior marathon.

His pitch speed sat under his seasonal average and he labored more as the contest wore on. Even so, he showed glimpses of his typical control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first to continue his World Series streak. But the Blue Jays made him work: six hits and four earned runs were charged to him in over six frames.

Seventh Inning Rally

The bigger problem for the Dodgers was what followed when he finally lost steam.

Daulton Varsho started the seventh with a clean single to right, and Clement drilled a two-base hit off the fence to put two on with none out. Roberts had little choice but to pull the starter, who exited to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Dodgers' bullpen could not complete the escape.

Banda inherited the jam and immediately trailed in the count. Giménez battled to a full count before scoring the runner with a single to left. Ty France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove the pitcher out of the game. Blake Treinen entered next but also failed to stop the rally: Bichette and Barger punched run-scoring base hits through the diamond, completing a four-run barrage that extended the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Blue Jays's ability to withstand initial setbacks and answer has characterized their whole run. They once again did it without George Springer, the injured top-of-the-order hitter who left Game 3 after straining his right side.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was everything Toronto required. Traded for during the summer while completing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the former award-winning winner stranded several runners and quieted the Los Angeles' dangerous batting order. He gave up one run on four hits and three free passes before the manager called on rookie left-hander Mason Fluharty to face the core of the order in the sixth. Fluharty needed just 4 pitches to retire Muncy and Edman, preserving a fragile advantage that quickly grew safe.

Converted starter Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' bats kept to sputter. Los Angeles have scored only three runs over their previous 20 frames, an sudden slowdown for a team that was among MLB's elite lineups all year.

Final Moments

The Los Angeles scraped a score in the ninth when Tommy Edman hit into an out to score Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's double put two on base. But Varland finished the game without allowing a comeback to develop.

Following a game when the Blue Jays left a World Series-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after wave upon wave of missed chances, the fourth contest was ruthlessly effective. 6 different Blue Jays recorded base hits, 5 drove in runs and the team cashed nearly every run-scoring opportunity available in the late stanzas.

Next Up

The win ensures the championship trophy will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not celebrated a title since Carter's iconic game-winning home run in '93. They now are aware they are guaranteed a packed house in Canada on Friday night – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game approaches with the series reset and energy shifting to Toronto. Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Toronto's surge. The Blue Jays respond with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Toronto knocked out Snell early in an 11-4 win.