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Only 24 hours after staggering through one of the most draining defeats in World Series history, the Toronto Blue Jays played with total command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run homer and Bieber provided a steady outing as Toronto defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, tying the World Series at two wins apiece and ensuring the series will head back to Toronto.

Toronto had passed the early hours of the next day processing their marathon Game 3 loss – tied for the longest World Series contest ever – a loss that cost them the opportunity to take the lead in the matchup and depleted both bullpens. Manager John Schneider stated later that “they took a contest, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his team provided emphatic proof.

Initial Innings

The Dodgers again struck first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second, advanced on a base hit and crossed the plate on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early score did not shake a Blue Jays team that led MLB with 49 comeback victories this year.

They responded right away in the third inning. Lukes hit a one away base hit to centre and Guerrero came to the plate hunting a curveball. Ohtani left a sweeper up and Guerrero drove it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his first long hit of the World Series and his 7th homer this playoffs – a fresh club mark – regaining the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 shutout frames and shifting the tone of the game.

Shohei's Performance

That hit also halted Shohei Ohtani's history-making run of 11 consecutive at-bats getting on base. The dual-threat star had hit two homers and reached safely a record nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 comeback win. But on that night, he took the mound on limited rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the prior extra-inning game.

Ohtani pitch speed was under his regular-season norm and he labored more as the game wore on. Nonetheless, he showed flashes of his typical command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to continue his Fall Classic record. But the Toronto made him work: six hits and four earned runs were charged to him in over six frames.

Seventh Inning Rally

The bigger problem for the Dodgers was what followed when he eventually lost steam.

Varsho opened the seventh inning with a sharp hit to right field, and Clement smashed a double off the fence to put two on with no outs. Dave Roberts had no option but to remove the starter, who departed to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Dodgers' relief corps could not complete the escape.

Anthony Banda inherited the mess and immediately fell behind. Andrés Giménez fought to a full count before driving in Varsho with a single to left. Ty France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock Banda out of the contest. Blake Treinen entered next but also failed to stop the rally: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger hit RBI singles through the infield, capping a four-score outburst that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Blue Jays's capacity to withstand initial blows and respond has defined their entire postseason. They once again did it without George Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order hitter who exited the third game after tweaking his right side.

Bieber, in contrast, was everything the Blue Jays required. Traded for during the summer while finishing rehab from elbow surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner stranded several baserunners and silenced the Dodgers' potent lineup. He allowed one earned run on four hits and three walks before Schneider called on first-year left-hander Fluharty to face the heart of the order in the sixth inning. He needed just four pitches to get out Max Muncy and Edman, protecting a narrow advantage that quickly grew comfortable.

Converted starting pitcher Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' bats continued to struggle. Los Angeles have scored only 3 scores over their last 20 innings, an sudden slowdown for a club that ranked among baseball's top lineups all season.

Closing Moments

The Dodgers scraped a run in the ninth when Edman hit into an out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's two-base hit put two aboard. But Louis Varland closed it down without permitting a comeback to build.

Following a night when the Blue Jays stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and collapsed after wave upon wave of wasted opportunities, Game 4 was ruthlessly effective. 6 different Blue Jays recorded base hits, five brought home runs and the team cashed almost every scoring opportunity presented in the final stanzas.

Next Up

The victory guarantees the championship trophy will be presented at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not won a championship since Joe Carter's iconic walk-off homer in '93. They now are aware they are guaranteed a packed crowd in Canada on Friday night – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 approaches with the matchup even and momentum swinging to Toronto. Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Blue Jays's momentum. Toronto respond with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Toronto chased Snell early in an decisive victory.