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Less than a day after staggering through one of the most draining defeats in World Series history, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed complete command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber delivered a steady outing as the Blue Jays defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, tying the World Series at two games each and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had passed the morning of the next day processing their marathon third game defeat – tied for the lengthiest World Series game ever – a defeat that cost them the opportunity to take the lead in the matchup and burned through both relief corps. Skipper Schneider stated afterwards that “they won a game, not the World Series”. A day later, his team offered emphatic proof.

Initial Innings

The Los Angeles again struck first. Muncy walked in the second inning, advanced on a base hit and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the early breakthrough did not shake a Blue Jays team that topped MLB with 49 come-from-behind victories this season.

They answered immediately in the third. Lukes hit a one-out single to centre and Guerrero stepped in hunting a curveball. Ohtani threw a slider up and he sent it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his first long hit of the World Series and his 7th homer this playoffs – a fresh team mark – regaining the Toronto's advantage after 13 scoreless frames and changing the tone of the game.

Shohei's Performance

That hit also ended Shohei Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 straight at-bats reaching base. The dual-threat phenomenon had hit two home runs and got on base a record nine times in the Dodgers' third game walk-off. But on that night, he started on short rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the previous extra-inning game.

His fastball velocity sat below his regular-season average and he struggled more as the game wore on. Nonetheless, he showed flashes of his typical command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and striking out six. He even walked in the first to extend his Fall Classic record. But the Blue Jays made him work: six hits and four earned runs were credited to him in over six innings.

Late Game Surge

The larger issue for Los Angeles was what came next when Ohtani eventually ran out of energy.

Varsho opened the seventh inning with a sharp single to right, and Clement drilled a double off the wall to put two on with none out. Dave Roberts had no option but to remove the starter, who exited to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Dodgers' bullpen could not complete the inning.

Banda inherited the jam and immediately trailed in the count. Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before driving in the runner with a single to left field. Ty France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock the pitcher out of the game. Blake Treinen entered next but also was unable to stop the momentum: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger hit run-scoring singles through the diamond, capping a four-run outburst that extended the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Blue Jays's ability to absorb initial blows and answer has defined their whole postseason. They once again did it without George Springer, the hurt leadoff hitter who left Game 3 after straining his right side.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what the Blue Jays needed. Traded for during the summer while completing rehab from elbow surgery, the former award-winning winner left multiple baserunners and silenced the Los Angeles' dangerous batting order. He gave up one earned run on four base hits and three walks before Schneider called on first-year pitcher Mason Fluharty to face the heart of the order in the sixth. He needed just four throws to retire Muncy and Edman, preserving a narrow lead that soon became comfortable.

Former starting pitcher Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' offense continued to sputter. Los Angeles have produced only 3 scores over their previous 20 frames, an abrupt downturn for a club that was among MLB's elite offenses all season.

Closing Innings

The Los Angeles scraped a run in the ninth inning when Edman grounded out to score Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's two-base hit put runners on base. But Louis Varland finished the game without allowing a comeback to build.

Following a game when the Blue Jays stranded a World Series-record 19 runners and collapsed after wave upon wave of missed chances, the fourth contest was brutally efficient. 6 separate Blue Jays collected hits, five brought home scores and the team converted nearly every scoring opportunity presented in the late stanzas.

Next Up

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

The fifth game looms with the series reset and energy shifting to Toronto. Dodgers left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Toronto's surge. The Blue Jays respond with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Blue Jays chased the starter early in an 11-4 victory.