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Less than a day following staggering through one of the most exhausting defeats in Fall Classic history, the Blue Jays displayed complete command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber delivered a steady start 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 ensuring the series will return to Toronto.

Toronto had passed the morning of the next day processing their marathon Game 3 loss – equal to the lengthiest Fall Classic contest ever – a loss that cost them the chance to lead the series and depleted both relief corps. Manager John Schneider insisted afterwards that “they took a game, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad provided emphatic proof.

Early Innings

The Los Angeles again scored first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, advanced on a base hit and scored on Hernández's fly out. But the initial breakthrough did not shake a Toronto team that topped Major League Baseball with 49 comeback victories this season.

They answered immediately in the third inning. Lukes hit a one away base hit to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate looking for a breaking ball. Ohtani threw a slider up and he drove it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his first extra-base hit of the series and his 7th homer this playoffs – a new club mark – regaining the Blue Jays's lead after 13 scoreless innings and changing the tone of the night.

Shohei's Performance

That hit also ended Shohei Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 straight at-bats reaching base. The dual-threat star had hit two home runs and got on base a record nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 comeback win. But on that night, he took the mound on short rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the prior extra-inning game.

Ohtani pitch speed was below his seasonal norm and he struggled more as the contest wore on. Nonetheless, he showed flashes of his usual control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and striking out six. He even walked in the first to extend his Fall Classic streak. But the Toronto made him work: six hits and four earned runs were credited to him in over six innings.

Late Game Surge

The bigger issue for Los Angeles was what followed when Ohtani eventually lost energy.

Varsho started the seventh inning with a sharp single to right field, and Clement smashed a two-base hit off the wall to put two on with none out. Roberts had no option but to remove the starter, who exited to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not finish the escape.

Anthony Banda came into the jam and immediately trailed in the count. Giménez fought to a full count before driving in the runner with a single to left field. Ty France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock Banda out of the game. Blake Treinen came in next but also failed to stop the momentum: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger hit RBI base hits through the diamond, completing a four-score barrage that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Blue Jays's ability to withstand early setbacks and respond has defined their entire run. They once again did it without Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order hitter who left Game 3 after straining his oblique.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was everything the Blue Jays needed. Traded for mid-season while completing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the former award-winning winner left multiple baserunners and silenced the Los Angeles' potent lineup. He allowed one run on four hits and three walks before Schneider summoned first-year left-hander Mason Fluharty to face the heart of the lineup in the sixth. Fluharty needed just four throws to get out Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a fragile advantage that soon became comfortable.

Former starting pitcher Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' offense continued to struggle. Los Angeles have scored only three scores over their last 20 innings, an sudden slowdown for a team that was among baseball's elite offenses all year.

Final Innings

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

After a game when the Blue Jays stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after repeated of missed opportunities, the fourth contest was ruthlessly effective. Six different Toronto players recorded base hits, 5 drove in scores and the squad converted nearly every run-scoring opportunity available in the final stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The win guarantees the championship title will be presented at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a championship since Carter's famous walk-off home run in 1993. They now are aware they are guaranteed a full house in Toronto on Friday evening – and perhaps the next day – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 looms with the matchup reset and momentum shifting north. Los Angeles pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Blue Jays's momentum. The Blue Jays respond with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Blue Jays knocked out the starter quickly in an decisive victory.