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Less than a day following staggering through one of the most exhausting defeats in World Series annals, the Blue Jays displayed complete control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run home run and Bieber delivered a steady outing as the Blue Jays defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, squaring the World Series at two games each and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Canada.

Toronto had spent the early hours of Tuesday dealing with their 18-inning third game defeat – tied for the lengthiest Fall Classic contest ever – a loss that denied them the chance to lead the series and burned through both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider stated afterwards that “the Dodgers won a game, not the championship”. A day later, his team provided convincing proof.

Initial Action

The Los Angeles again scored first. Muncy walked in the second, moved up on a base hit and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the early score did not rattle a Blue Jays club that led MLB with 49 come-from-behind wins this year.

They responded immediately in the third inning. Nathan Lukes lined a one-out single to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate hunting a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani threw a slider up and Guerrero drove it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his initial long hit of the series and his seventh home run this playoffs – a new team record – regaining the Blue Jays's lead after 13 shutout innings and shifting the momentum of the night.

Ohtani's Night

That hit also ended Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 straight plate appearances getting on base. The two-way phenomenon had smashed 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 needing an IV to recover from the prior extra-inning game.

His fastball velocity sat under his regular-season average and he labored more as the game progressed. Nonetheless, he displayed glimpses of his usual control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to continue his Fall Classic record. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six hits and four earned runs were credited to him in six-plus innings.

Late Game Surge

The larger issue for the Dodgers was what followed when he finally ran out of energy.

Varsho started the seventh inning with a sharp hit to right field, and Ernie Clement drilled a double off the wall to put two on with no outs. Roberts had little choice but to remove the starter, who departed to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Dodgers' relief corps could not complete the inning.

Banda inherited the mess and right away trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez fought to a full count before driving in Varsho with a single to left. 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 was unable to stop the momentum: Bichette and Barger punched run-scoring singles through the diamond, capping a four-run outburst that extended the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Blue Jays's capacity to absorb early blows and respond has characterized their whole postseason. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the injured leadoff man who left the third game after straining his right side.

Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what the Blue Jays needed. Traded for mid-season while finishing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the former Cy Young winner left several runners and silenced the Dodgers' potent batting order. He gave up one run on four base hits and three free passes before Schneider summoned first-year left-hander Fluharty to face the heart of the order in the sixth inning. He needed just four throws to retire Max Muncy and Edman, protecting a fragile advantage that quickly grew comfortable.

Former starting pitcher Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' bats kept to sputter. Los Angeles have scored only three scores over their previous 20 frames, an sudden slowdown for a club that was among MLB's top lineups all season.

Final Innings

The Dodgers managed a score in the ninth when Tommy Edman grounded out to bring home Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's double put runners on base. But Varland closed it down without permitting a rally to develop.

Following a game when Toronto stranded a World Series-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after repeated of wasted chances, the fourth contest was ruthlessly efficient. Six separate Toronto players recorded base hits, 5 brought home runs and the team converted nearly every scoring opportunity presented in the final stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The victory guarantees the World Series trophy will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a title since Carter's iconic walk-off homer in '93. They now are aware they are guaranteed a full house in Canada on Friday night – and perhaps the next day – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game looms with the series even and momentum shifting north. Dodgers left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Toronto's momentum. Toronto respond with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Blue Jays chased the starter early in an decisive victory.