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Only 24 hours after staggering through one of the most draining losses in Fall Classic annals, the Blue Jays played with complete control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber provided a composed outing as the Blue Jays defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, squaring the World Series at two games each and guaranteeing the series will head back to Canada.

The Blue Jays had passed the morning of Tuesday dealing with their 18-inning Game 3 loss – tied for the longest Fall Classic game ever – a defeat that denied them the opportunity to lead the series and depleted both relief corps. Skipper Schneider insisted afterwards that “the Dodgers won a contest, not the championship”. A day later, his squad offered convincing proof.

Initial Action

The Los Angeles again struck first. Muncy drew a walk in the second, moved up on a single and scored on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early breakthrough did not rattle a Toronto team that topped MLB with 49 come-from-behind wins this year.

They answered immediately in the third. Nathan Lukes lined a one away base hit to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate hunting a curveball. 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 7th home run this postseason – a fresh team mark – restoring the Blue Jays's lead after 13 scoreless frames and changing the tone of the game.

Shohei's Night

That swing also halted Ohtani's history-making run of 11 straight plate appearances getting on base. The dual-threat phenomenon had hit two home runs and reached safely a historic nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 comeback win. But on that night, he started on short rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the previous extra-inning game.

His pitch speed sat below his seasonal average and he labored more as the game wore on. Nonetheless, he displayed flashes of his usual command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and striking out six. He even walked in the first inning to extend his World Series record. But the Toronto made him work: six base hits and four earned runs were credited to him in six-plus innings.

Late Game Surge

The bigger issue for Los Angeles was what followed when he eventually lost steam.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh inning with a clean hit to right field, and Ernie Clement smashed a two-base hit off the fence to put runners on with no outs. Roberts had no option but to remove the starter, who exited to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not complete the escape.

Anthony Banda inherited the mess and right away trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez battled 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 sufficient to knock the pitcher out of the contest. Treinen entered next but also failed to stop the rally: Bichette and Addison Barger hit run-scoring singles through the diamond, completing a four-score outburst that extended the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Toronto's ability to absorb initial blows and answer has defined their whole postseason. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the injured leadoff hitter who exited the third game after tweaking his oblique.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was everything Toronto required. Acquired mid-season while completing rehab from elbow surgery, the former Cy Young winner left multiple runners and quieted the Dodgers' dangerous batting order. He allowed one run on four hits and three walks before Schneider summoned rookie pitcher Mason Fluharty to face the heart of the lineup in the sixth. He required just 4 throws to get out Muncy and Edman, protecting a narrow lead that soon grew safe.

Converted starting pitcher Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' offense kept to struggle. The Dodgers have scored only three runs over their last 20 innings, an sudden downturn for a team that was among baseball's elite offenses all season.

Closing Innings

The Los Angeles scraped a run in the ninth when Tommy Edman grounded out to score Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's double put two aboard. But 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 chances, Game 4 was ruthlessly efficient. 6 different Toronto players collected base hits, 5 brought home runs and the squad converted nearly every scoring opportunity presented in the final innings.

Looking Ahead

The victory guarantees the championship title will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not won a championship since Joe Carter's famous game-winning homer in 1993. They now are aware they are assured a full crowd in Canada on Friday evening – and possibly the next day – no matter what occurs next in LA.

The fifth game looms with the matchup reset and energy shifting north. Los Angeles pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Toronto's momentum. The Blue Jays respond with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Blue Jays chased the starter quickly in an decisive victory.