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Only 24 hours following enduring one of the most exhausting defeats in Fall Classic annals, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed complete command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed 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, tying the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the series will return to Canada.

The Blue Jays had spent the early hours of the next day dealing with their marathon Game 3 loss – tied for the longest World Series contest ever – a loss that denied them the chance to take the lead in the series and depleted both bullpens. Manager John Schneider stated afterwards that “they won a contest, not the championship”. A day later, his team provided convincing proof.

Early Action

The Los Angeles again struck first. Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, advanced on a single and scored on Hernández's fly out. But the early score did not rattle a Toronto team that led MLB with 49 come-from-behind wins this year.

They responded right away in the third. Lukes hit a one away base hit to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in looking for a curveball. Ohtani left a slider up and Guerrero sent it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his first long hit of the series and his seventh homer this postseason – a new team mark – restoring the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 shutout innings and shifting the tone of the night.

Ohtani's Performance

That swing also ended Shohei Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 consecutive plate appearances reaching base. The two-way phenomenon had smashed two homers and reached safely a historic nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 walk-off. But on Tuesday, he started on short rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the prior marathon.

His fastball velocity was under his seasonal norm and he labored more as the contest progressed. Even so, he displayed flashes of his usual control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and fanning six. He even walked in the first inning to extend his World Series streak. But the Blue Jays made him work: six base hits and four runs were charged to him in six-plus innings.

Late Game Rally

The larger problem for Los Angeles was what followed when Ohtani eventually ran out of steam.

Varsho started the seventh with a sharp hit to right, and Clement smashed a two-base hit off the fence to put two on with none out. Dave Roberts had little choice but to pull Ohtani, who exited to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not complete the inning.

Banda inherited the mess and right away fell behind. Andrés Giménez battled to a full count before driving in Varsho with a single to left field. Ty France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock Banda out of the contest. Blake Treinen entered next but also was unable to stem the momentum: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger punched run-scoring singles through the infield, completing a four-run outburst that extended the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Toronto's ability to absorb early blows and answer has defined their whole postseason. They once again succeeded without Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order man who left the third game after tweaking his oblique.

Bieber, in contrast, was everything Toronto needed. Acquired during the summer while completing rehab from elbow surgery, the ex- award-winning winner stranded several runners and quieted the Dodgers' potent batting order. He gave up one run on four hits and three walks before the manager called on rookie pitcher Mason Fluharty to confront the heart of the order in the sixth. He required just 4 throws to get out Max Muncy and Edman, protecting a narrow advantage that quickly became comfortable.

Former starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' bats continued to struggle. Los Angeles have produced only 3 scores over their previous 20 frames, an sudden downturn for a club that ranked among MLB's top offenses all season.

Closing Innings

The Los Angeles scraped a score in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman hit into an out to score Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Muncy's double put runners on base. But Varland closed it down without permitting a rally to develop.

Following a game when the Blue Jays left a World Series-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after repeated of missed opportunities, Game 4 was ruthlessly effective. 6 separate Blue Jays collected base hits, five brought home runs and the team converted nearly every scoring chance available in the late stanzas.

Next Up

The win guarantees the World Series title will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not celebrated a championship since Joe Carter's iconic walk-off home run in 1993. They now are aware they are assured a full house in Canada on Friday night – and perhaps the next day – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 approaches with the matchup reset and energy swinging to Toronto. Los Angeles pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Toronto's momentum. Toronto counter with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Toronto knocked out Snell quickly in an 11-4 victory.