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Only 24 hours after staggering through one of the most exhausting defeats in Fall Classic history, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed total command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber delivered a steady start as the Blue Jays defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, tying the Fall Classic at two games each and ensuring the matchup will head back to Canada.

Toronto had passed the morning of Tuesday processing their marathon Game 3 loss – tied for the longest World Series game ever – a defeat that cost them the opportunity to lead the matchup and depleted both bullpens. Skipper John Schneider insisted later that “the Dodgers took a game, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad offered convincing evidence.

Initial Innings

The Los Angeles again scored first. Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, moved up on a base hit and scored on Hernández's fly out. But the early score did not shake a Toronto club that led MLB with 49 come-from-behind wins this year.

They answered right away in the third. Lukes lined a one away base hit to centre and Guerrero stepped in looking for a curveball. Shohei Ohtani threw a sweeper up and he sent it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his initial long hit of the series and his seventh home run this playoffs – a fresh team mark – regaining the Blue Jays's lead after 13 shutout innings and changing the tone of the game.

Ohtani's Night

That hit also halted Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 straight at-bats reaching base. The dual-threat star had hit two homers and reached safely a historic nine times in the Dodgers' third game comeback win. But on Tuesday, he started on limited rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the previous marathon.

Ohtani fastball velocity sat under his seasonal average and he labored more as the game wore on. Even so, he displayed glimpses of his typical command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and fanning six. He even walked in the first inning to extend his Fall Classic record. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six hits and four runs were credited to him in six-plus frames.

Late Game Rally

The larger problem for Los Angeles was what came next when he eventually lost steam.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh inning with a sharp hit to right field, and Clement drilled a double off the fence to put runners on with none out. Roberts had little choice but to remove Ohtani, who departed to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not complete the inning.

Anthony Banda inherited the mess and right away fell behind. Andrés Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before scoring Varsho with a base hit to left. France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock the pitcher out of the game. Treinen entered next but also failed to stem the rally: Bichette and Addison Barger hit run-scoring base hits through the infield, capping a four-score barrage that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Blue Jays's ability to absorb early blows and respond has characterized their entire postseason. They once again did it without George Springer, the injured leadoff hitter who left the third game after straining his oblique.

Bieber, meanwhile, was everything the Blue Jays needed. Traded for during the summer while completing recovery from elbow surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner stranded multiple runners and quieted the Dodgers' dangerous batting order. He allowed one earned run on four hits and three walks before the manager called on rookie left-hander Fluharty to face the core of the lineup in the sixth. He needed just 4 pitches to get out Muncy and Edman, preserving a narrow lead that soon became safe.

Former starting pitcher Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' offense kept to struggle. The Dodgers have produced only three runs over their previous 20 innings, an abrupt downturn for a team that ranked among MLB's elite offenses all year.

Final Moments

The Dodgers managed a run in the ninth inning when Edman grounded out to score Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's two-base hit put runners on base. But Varland closed it down without permitting a comeback to develop.

Following a game when the Blue Jays stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and fell apart after wave upon wave of missed chances, Game 4 was brutally effective. Six different Blue Jays recorded base hits, five drove in scores and the squad cashed almost every run-scoring opportunity presented in the late stanzas.

Next Up

The win ensures the World Series trophy will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a championship since Joe Carter's iconic game-winning homer in '93. They now are aware they are assured a full crowd in Toronto on Friday evening – and possibly the next day – no matter what happens next in LA.

Game 5 looms with the matchup even and energy shifting north. Los Angeles left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Toronto's momentum. The Blue Jays counter with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Blue Jays chased Snell quickly in an decisive win.