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Less than a day after enduring one of the most exhausting losses in World Series history, the Toronto Blue Jays played with total control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber delivered a composed start as the Blue Jays beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, squaring the World Series at two games each and ensuring the matchup will return to Canada.

The Blue Jays had passed the morning of Tuesday dealing with their marathon third game defeat – equal to the lengthiest World Series contest ever – a defeat that cost them the chance to take the lead in the series and depleted both bullpens. Skipper John Schneider stated afterwards that “the Dodgers took a game, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad provided convincing evidence.

Early Innings

The Dodgers again scored first. Max Muncy walked in the second inning, moved up on a single and scored on Hernández's fly out. But the initial score did not shake a Blue Jays team that topped MLB with 49 come-from-behind wins this year.

They responded right away in the third. Nathan Lukes hit a one-out single to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate hunting a curveball. Shohei Ohtani left a sweeper up and he sent it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his initial extra-base hit of the World Series and his 7th home run this playoffs – a new team record – restoring the Toronto's advantage after 13 shutout frames and changing the momentum of the night.

Shohei's Night

That swing also ended Ohtani's history-making run of 11 straight plate appearances reaching base. The dual-threat star had smashed two home runs and got on base a historic nine times in the Dodgers' third game comeback win. But on Tuesday, he started on limited rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the prior extra-inning game.

His fastball velocity was under his regular-season norm and he struggled more as the contest wore on. Nonetheless, he showed glimpses of his typical command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and fanning six. He even walked in the first inning to continue his Fall Classic streak. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six base hits and four earned runs were credited to him in six-plus innings.

Seventh Inning Surge

The larger issue for Los Angeles was what came next when Ohtani eventually lost steam.

Varsho started the seventh with a clean hit to right field, and Ernie Clement drilled a two-base hit off the fence to put runners on with none out. Roberts had no option but to remove the starter, who departed to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not complete the inning.

Anthony Banda inherited the jam and immediately fell behind. Andrés Giménez battled to a full count before scoring Varsho with a base hit to left field. Ty France followed 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 Addison Barger punched run-scoring singles through the infield, capping a four-run barrage that extended the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Toronto's ability to withstand initial blows and answer has characterized their whole postseason. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the injured top-of-the-order man who exited the third game after tweaking his right side.

Bieber, meanwhile, was everything Toronto needed. Traded for during the summer while finishing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the former award-winning winner left several baserunners and silenced the Dodgers' dangerous lineup. He gave up one earned run on four hits and three walks before Schneider summoned rookie left-hander Fluharty to face the core of the order in the sixth. Fluharty required just 4 pitches to retire Max Muncy and Edman, preserving a narrow advantage that soon became comfortable.

Converted starter Chris Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' offense kept to sputter. The Dodgers have scored only 3 runs over their last 20 frames, an abrupt slowdown for a club that was among baseball's elite offenses all year.

Closing Moments

The Dodgers scraped a run in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman hit into an out to bring home Hernández after a walk and Muncy's double put two on base. But Varland finished the game without permitting a comeback to develop.

After a night when Toronto stranded a World Series-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after repeated of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was brutally efficient. Six different Toronto players collected base hits, five brought home scores and the team cashed almost every run-scoring chance available in the final stanzas.

Next Up

The victory ensures the championship title will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not won a championship since Carter's iconic game-winning homer in 1993. They now know they are assured a full house in Canada on Friday night – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 looms with the series reset and momentum swinging north. Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Toronto's surge. The Blue Jays respond with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Toronto chased Snell early in an 11-4 victory.