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Less than a day following enduring one of the most draining losses in World Series history, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed complete command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber delivered a composed outing as Toronto beat the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, squaring the World Series at two games each and ensuring the series will head back to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had spent the early hours of Tuesday processing their marathon Game 3 loss – equal to the lengthiest World Series game ever – a defeat that cost them the chance to lead the matchup and burned through both bullpens. Skipper John Schneider insisted later that “they won a contest, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his team provided convincing proof.

Initial Action

The Los Angeles again scored first. Muncy walked in the second inning, moved up on a base hit and crossed the plate on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial breakthrough did not shake a Toronto team that led Major League Baseball with 49 comeback victories this year.

They answered 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. Shohei Ohtani threw a sweeper up and he drove it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his first long hit of the series and his seventh homer this postseason – a new club mark – regaining the Blue Jays's lead after 13 scoreless frames and shifting the momentum of the game.

Shohei's Night

That hit also ended Shohei Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 consecutive plate appearances reaching base. The dual-threat phenomenon had hit two homers and reached safely a record nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 comeback win. But on that night, he took the mound on limited rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the prior marathon.

His fastball velocity was under his regular-season average and he struggled more as the contest wore on. Even so, 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 continue his World Series record. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six hits and four earned runs were credited to him in six-plus innings.

Seventh Inning Rally

The bigger issue for the Dodgers was what came next when Ohtani finally lost energy.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh inning with a clean hit to right, and Ernie Clement drilled a double off the wall to put two on with no outs. Dave Roberts had no option but to remove Ohtani, who departed to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not finish the inning.

Anthony Banda inherited the mess and right away fell behind. Giménez fought to a full count before scoring Varsho with a base hit to left. France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove the pitcher out of the game. Treinen came in next but also failed to stem the momentum: Bichette and Barger hit RBI singles through the infield, completing a four-score barrage that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Blue Jays's capacity to absorb early setbacks and answer has characterized their whole run. They once again succeeded without Springer, the injured leadoff man who left the third game after straining his right side.

Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what Toronto required. Acquired during the summer while finishing rehab from elbow surgery, the former Cy Young winner left multiple baserunners and silenced the Dodgers' potent lineup. He allowed one earned run on four hits and three walks before the manager called on first-year left-hander Fluharty to confront the heart of the order in the sixth. Fluharty needed just four pitches to retire Muncy and Edman, preserving a fragile lead that quickly became comfortable.

Former starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' offense kept to sputter. Los Angeles have scored only 3 scores over their previous 20 innings, an abrupt downturn for a team that ranked among baseball's elite offenses all season.

Closing Moments

The Los Angeles scraped a score in the ninth when Tommy Edman hit into an out to score Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Muncy's two-base hit put two on base. But Varland closed it down without permitting a comeback to build.

Following a game when the Blue Jays left a World Series-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after wave upon wave of missed chances, the fourth contest was ruthlessly efficient. 6 separate Blue Jays recorded hits, 5 brought home runs and the squad cashed nearly every run-scoring opportunity presented in the late stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The victory guarantees the championship title will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not celebrated a title since Carter's iconic walk-off home run in 1993. They now know they are guaranteed a packed house in Canada on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game looms with the matchup even and momentum shifting to Toronto. Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Toronto's surge. Toronto respond with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Toronto knocked out the starter quickly in an decisive victory.