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Less than a day following enduring one of the most draining losses in Fall Classic annals, the Toronto Blue Jays played with complete command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run home run and Bieber delivered a steady outing as the Blue Jays defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, squaring the World Series at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had spent the morning of the next day processing their 18-inning third game defeat – tied for the lengthiest Fall Classic game ever – a defeat that cost them the opportunity to take the lead in the series and depleted both bullpens. Skipper Schneider stated afterwards that “they took a game, not the World Series”. A day later, his squad provided emphatic proof.

Early Action

The Los Angeles again struck first. Max Muncy walked in the second, advanced on a single and scored on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the initial score did not rattle a Blue Jays club that topped Major League Baseball with 49 comeback wins this year.

They responded right away in the third inning. Nathan Lukes lined a one away base hit to centre and Guerrero came to the plate looking for a breaking ball. Ohtani left a slider up and Guerrero sent it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his first extra-base hit of the series and his 7th homer this postseason – a fresh club record – regaining the Toronto's lead after 13 scoreless frames and shifting the momentum of the game.

Ohtani's Night

That swing also ended Shohei Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 consecutive plate appearances reaching base. The two-way star had hit two home runs and reached safely a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 comeback win. But on that night, he started on limited rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the previous marathon.

His pitch speed sat below his regular-season average and he struggled more as the contest wore on. Nonetheless, he displayed flashes of his typical control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to continue his World Series streak. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six hits and four earned runs were charged to him in six-plus frames.

Late Game Surge

The larger problem for the Dodgers was what came next when Ohtani finally lost energy.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh with a sharp hit to right field, and Ernie Clement smashed a double off the fence to put runners on with none out. Dave Roberts had no option but to remove the starter, who departed to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not finish the inning.

Banda inherited the jam and right away trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez fought to a full count before scoring the runner with a single to left field. France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock the pitcher out of the game. Blake Treinen entered next but also failed to stem the rally: Bichette and Barger hit RBI singles through the infield, completing a four-score outburst that extended the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Blue Jays's ability to absorb initial setbacks and answer has defined their whole postseason. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the injured top-of-the-order hitter who exited Game 3 after tweaking his oblique.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what Toronto needed. Traded for during the summer while finishing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the ex- award-winning winner left multiple runners and silenced the Dodgers' potent batting order. He gave up one run on four hits and three walks before the manager called on first-year pitcher Mason Fluharty to face the core of the order in the sixth. Fluharty required just four pitches to get out Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a fragile advantage that soon grew comfortable.

Former starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' bats continued to struggle. The Dodgers have scored only 3 runs over their last 20 frames, an abrupt downturn for a team that was among baseball's top offenses all season.

Final Innings

The Los Angeles managed a run in the ninth when Edman hit into an out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's two-base hit put runners on base. But Louis Varland closed it down without permitting a rally to develop.

Following a night when the Blue Jays stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after wave upon wave of wasted chances, Game 4 was ruthlessly efficient. 6 separate Blue Jays collected base hits, five drove in runs and the team converted almost every run-scoring chance available in the final innings.

Next Up

The victory guarantees the World Series title will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not celebrated a championship since Joe Carter's famous game-winning homer in 1993. They now know they are assured a packed house in Canada on Friday night – and possibly the next day – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 approaches with the series reset and energy swinging north. Los Angeles left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Blue Jays's surge. The Blue Jays counter with rookie 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.