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Only 24 hours after staggering through one of the most draining losses in World Series annals, the Blue Jays displayed complete control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run homer and Bieber provided a composed start as Toronto defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, tying the World Series at two games each and ensuring the matchup will return to Toronto.

Toronto had spent the morning of Tuesday dealing with their 18-inning Game 3 loss – equal to the lengthiest Fall Classic contest ever – a defeat that cost them the opportunity to take the lead in the series and burned through both bullpens. Skipper John Schneider stated afterwards that “they won a game, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his team offered emphatic evidence.

Initial Innings

The Los Angeles again struck first. Max Muncy walked in the second inning, advanced on a single and crossed the plate on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early breakthrough did not rattle a Toronto club that topped Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind victories this season.

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 slider up and Guerrero sent it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his initial long hit of the World Series and his 7th homer this postseason – a fresh club record – restoring the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 scoreless innings and changing the momentum of the night.

Shohei's Night

That swing also ended Shohei Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 straight at-bats getting on base. The dual-threat star had hit two home runs and reached safely a historic nine times in the Dodgers' third game walk-off. But on that night, he started on limited rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the prior marathon.

Ohtani fastball velocity sat below his regular-season norm and he struggled more as the contest wore on. Even so, he displayed flashes of his usual control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and striking out six. He even walked in the first to extend his Fall Classic record. But the Toronto made him work: six base hits and four earned runs were credited to him in six-plus innings.

Seventh Inning Rally

The larger problem for the Dodgers was what followed when Ohtani eventually lost steam.

Varsho opened the seventh with a sharp hit to right, and Clement drilled a double off the wall to put two on with no outs. Dave Roberts had little choice but to remove the starter, who departed to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Dodgers' bullpen could not complete the escape.

Anthony Banda inherited the jam and right away trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before driving in the runner with a base hit to left. Ty France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove Banda out of the game. Treinen came in next but also failed to stem the rally: Bichette and Addison Barger hit run-scoring base hits through the infield, capping a four-score outburst that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Blue Jays's capacity to withstand initial setbacks and respond has characterized their whole run. They once again did it without George Springer, the injured top-of-the-order hitter who exited the third game after tweaking his oblique.

Bieber, in contrast, was everything Toronto needed. Traded for mid-season while finishing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the former Cy Young winner left multiple runners and quieted the Los Angeles' potent lineup. He gave up one run on four base hits and three free passes before Schneider called on rookie pitcher Mason Fluharty to face the heart of the lineup in the sixth inning. Fluharty required just 4 pitches to get out Max Muncy and Edman, preserving a narrow advantage that soon grew comfortable.

Former starter Chris Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' offense kept to struggle. The Dodgers have produced only 3 scores over their previous 20 innings, an abrupt downturn for a club that was among MLB's elite offenses all year.

Final Innings

The Los Angeles managed a run in the ninth when Edman grounded out to score Hernández after a walk and Muncy's double put two on base. But Varland finished the game without permitting a rally to develop.

After a night when Toronto left a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and collapsed after repeated of missed chances, Game 4 was ruthlessly effective. 6 separate Blue Jays collected base hits, 5 brought home runs and the squad cashed almost every run-scoring opportunity presented in the late stanzas.

Next Up

The win ensures the World Series title will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not won a title since Carter's famous walk-off homer in '93. They now know they are assured a full crowd in Canada on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what occurs next in LA.

Game 5 approaches with the series even and momentum swinging north. Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Toronto's surge. The Blue Jays respond with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Toronto chased Snell quickly in an decisive win.