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

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber provided a composed outing as Toronto defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, tying the Fall Classic at two games each and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Canada.

Toronto had spent the early hours of the next day processing their 18-inning Game 3 loss – equal to the longest Fall Classic contest ever – a loss that cost them the chance to take the lead in the series and burned through both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider insisted later that “they won a game, not the championship”. A day later, his squad offered convincing evidence.

Early Innings

The Los Angeles again scored first. Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, moved up on a single and scored on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial breakthrough did not rattle a Blue Jays club that topped MLB with 49 come-from-behind victories this season.

They answered immediately in the third inning. Nathan Lukes lined a one away base hit to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in looking for a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani left a sweeper up and he sent it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his initial long hit of the World Series and his 7th home run this postseason – a new club record – regaining the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 scoreless frames and changing the tone of the game.

Shohei's Night

That swing also halted Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 consecutive plate appearances getting on base. The two-way phenomenon had hit two homers and reached safely a record nine times in the Dodgers' third game comeback win. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on limited rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the previous extra-inning game.

His pitch speed was under his seasonal norm 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's homer and striking out six. He even walked in the first to continue his Fall Classic streak. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six hits and four runs were credited to him in over six innings.

Seventh Inning Surge

The larger problem for Los Angeles was what followed when he eventually ran out of steam.

Daulton Varsho started the seventh inning with a sharp single to right, and Ernie Clement smashed a double off the wall to put runners on with none out. Dave Roberts had little choice but to pull the starter, who departed to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Dodgers' bullpen could not finish the escape.

Anthony Banda came into the mess and immediately trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez fought to a full count before driving in Varsho with a single to left field. Ty France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock the pitcher out of the contest. Blake Treinen entered next but also was unable to stop the momentum: Bo Bichette and Barger hit run-scoring singles through the diamond, completing a four-score barrage that extended the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Toronto's ability to absorb initial setbacks and answer has defined their whole run. They once again succeeded without Springer, the injured leadoff man who left the third game after straining his oblique.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was everything the Blue Jays needed. Traded for during the summer while completing rehab from elbow surgery, the former Cy Young winner stranded multiple baserunners and silenced the Dodgers' potent lineup. He gave up one run on four hits and three free passes before the manager summoned first-year pitcher Mason Fluharty to confront the heart of the lineup in the sixth. He required just four throws to get out Muncy and Edman, preserving a narrow lead that quickly grew comfortable.

Former starter Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' bats continued to sputter. Los Angeles have produced only three runs over their previous 20 innings, an sudden slowdown for a team that ranked among MLB's top offenses all year.

Closing Moments

The Dodgers managed a score in the ninth inning when Edman grounded out to score Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's double put two on base. But Varland finished the game without allowing a rally to build.

After a game when the Blue Jays stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after repeated of wasted opportunities, Game 4 was ruthlessly effective. Six separate Toronto players recorded base hits, five drove in runs and the squad cashed nearly every scoring opportunity presented in the final stanzas.

Next Up

The win guarantees the World Series trophy will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not won a championship since Joe Carter's famous walk-off home run in 1993. They now are aware they are guaranteed a packed house in Canada on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 looms with the matchup even and energy swinging to Toronto. Dodgers left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Blue Jays's surge. The Blue Jays respond with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Toronto knocked out the starter quickly in an 11-4 win.