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Only 24 hours after staggering through one of the most draining losses in World Series annals, the Toronto Blue Jays played with complete command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber delivered a steady start as the Blue Jays beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening 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 dealing with their 18-inning third game defeat – tied for the lengthiest Fall Classic game ever – a loss that denied them the chance to take the lead in the series and burned through both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider insisted later that “they took a game, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad provided emphatic evidence.

Initial Innings

The Los Angeles again scored first. Muncy drew a walk in the second, advanced on a base hit and scored on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the early breakthrough did not rattle a Blue Jays team that topped Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind victories this year.

They responded right away in the third. Lukes hit a one away single to center field and Guerrero came to the plate looking for a curveball. Ohtani threw a sweeper up and he drove it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his initial long hit of the series and his seventh home run this playoffs – a new club mark – regaining the Toronto's lead after 13 shutout frames and shifting the momentum of the night.

Ohtani's Night

That swing also halted Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 straight at-bats getting on base. The two-way 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 requiring an IV to recuperate from the prior extra-inning game.

Ohtani fastball velocity sat under his seasonal average and he struggled more as the contest progressed. Nonetheless, he showed glimpses of his usual control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and striking out six. He even walked in the first inning to continue his Fall Classic streak. But the Blue Jays made him work: six base hits and four runs were charged to him in over six innings.

Seventh Inning Surge

The larger issue for Los Angeles was what followed when he eventually lost energy.

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

Banda inherited the jam and immediately fell behind. Andrés Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before driving in the runner with a single to left field. France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove Banda out of the game. Treinen came in next but also failed to stop the momentum: Bichette and Addison Barger punched RBI base hits through the infield, completing a four-score barrage that extended the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Toronto's ability to withstand early setbacks and answer has defined their entire run. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the injured top-of-the-order hitter who left the third game after straining his oblique.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what Toronto needed. Traded for mid-season while completing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the former award-winning winner stranded several baserunners and silenced the Los Angeles' potent lineup. He gave up one run on four hits and three free passes before the manager called on first-year left-hander Mason Fluharty to confront the heart of the order in the sixth inning. Fluharty required just 4 pitches to get out Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a narrow lead that soon became comfortable.

Converted starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' bats continued to sputter. The Dodgers have scored only 3 scores over their last 20 frames, an sudden downturn for a club that ranked among baseball's top offenses all season.

Closing Moments

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

After a night when Toronto left a World Series-record 19 runners and fell apart after repeated of wasted chances, Game 4 was brutally efficient. Six separate Blue Jays collected base hits, 5 brought home runs and the squad cashed almost every run-scoring chance presented in the final stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The win guarantees the World Series trophy will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not celebrated a title since Carter's iconic walk-off homer in 1993. They now know they are assured a full crowd in Toronto on Friday night – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what occurs next in LA.

Game 5 looms with the matchup reset and energy swinging to Toronto. Los Angeles left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Toronto's surge. The Blue Jays respond with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Toronto chased the starter early in an 11-4 victory.