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Less than a day following enduring one of the most exhausting losses in Fall Classic history, the Toronto Blue Jays played with total command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber provided a composed start as Toronto beat the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, squaring the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Canada.

The Blue Jays had passed the early hours of Tuesday processing their 18-inning third game defeat – equal to the lengthiest World Series game ever – a defeat that denied them the chance to take the lead in the matchup and burned through both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider insisted afterwards that “the Dodgers took a contest, not the World Series”. A day later, his squad provided convincing proof.

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 score did not shake a Blue Jays club that led MLB with 49 comeback wins this year.

They responded immediately in the third inning. Nathan Lukes lined a one-out single to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in hunting a curveball. Ohtani threw a sweeper up and Guerrero drove it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his first long hit of the series and his 7th homer this playoffs – a fresh club record – regaining the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 scoreless innings and changing the tone of the game.

Ohtani's Night

That hit also halted Shohei Ohtani's history-making run of 11 straight at-bats reaching base. The two-way phenomenon had hit two homers and reached safely a record nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 walk-off. But on that night, he started on limited rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the prior marathon.

His fastball velocity sat below his seasonal average and he struggled more as the contest wore on. Even so, he showed flashes of his usual control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and fanning six. He even walked in the first to extend his Fall Classic record. But the Blue Jays made him work: six hits and four runs were charged to him in over six frames.

Late Game Rally

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

Varsho started the seventh inning with a sharp single to right field, and Ernie Clement drilled a two-base hit off the fence to put two on with no outs. Dave Roberts had little choice but to pull the starter, who exited to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not complete the inning.

Anthony Banda came into the mess and right away trailed in the count. Giménez battled to a full count before scoring 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 Banda out of the contest. Treinen came in next but also failed to stem the momentum: Bichette and Barger hit RBI base hits through the diamond, completing a four-score barrage that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Blue Jays's capacity to absorb early setbacks and answer has defined their entire postseason. They once again did it without Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order hitter who left the third game after straining his right side.

Bieber, in contrast, was everything Toronto needed. Acquired during the summer while finishing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner stranded several baserunners and quieted the Los Angeles' dangerous lineup. He gave up one run on four base hits and three walks before Schneider summoned rookie pitcher Mason Fluharty to confront the heart of the lineup in the sixth inning. He needed just 4 throws to retire Max Muncy and Edman, preserving a fragile advantage that soon grew comfortable.

Former starting pitcher Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' bats continued to struggle. The Dodgers have scored only 3 scores over their last 20 innings, an abrupt slowdown for a team that ranked among MLB's elite lineups all season.

Final Moments

The Dodgers scraped a score in the ninth when Edman grounded out to score Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's two-base hit put runners on base. But Varland finished the game without allowing a rally to build.

After a game when Toronto stranded a World Series-record 19 runners and collapsed after wave upon wave of missed opportunities, Game 4 was ruthlessly efficient. Six separate Toronto players collected base hits, five brought home scores and the squad cashed nearly every run-scoring chance available in the late innings.

Looking Ahead

The win guarantees the championship title will be presented at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not won a championship since Carter's iconic game-winning home run in 1993. They now know they are guaranteed a packed crowd in Canada on Friday night – and possibly Saturday – no matter what happens next in LA.

The fifth game approaches with the series reset and energy swinging to Toronto. Dodgers left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Toronto's surge. The Blue Jays counter with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Toronto knocked out the starter quickly in an decisive victory.