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Only 24 hours after enduring one of the most draining defeats in Fall Classic history, the Blue Jays played with complete control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber delivered a steady outing as Toronto defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, squaring the World Series at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Toronto.

Toronto had passed the morning of Tuesday dealing with their 18-inning third game defeat – tied for the longest Fall Classic game ever – a defeat that denied them the chance to lead the series and depleted both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider insisted later that “they took a game, not the championship”. A day later, his team provided convincing evidence.

Early Innings

The Dodgers again struck first. Max Muncy walked in the second inning, moved up on a single and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the early score did not rattle a Blue Jays team that led Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind wins this season.

They answered right away in the third. Nathan Lukes hit a one away base hit to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in looking for a breaking ball. Ohtani left a sweeper up and he drove it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his initial long hit of the World Series and his seventh home run this playoffs – a fresh team mark – restoring the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 shutout frames and shifting the tone of the night.

Ohtani's Performance

That swing also halted Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 consecutive at-bats getting on base. The dual-threat star had smashed two home runs and reached safely a historic nine times in the Dodgers' third game comeback win. But on that night, he started on short rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the previous extra-inning game.

Ohtani pitch speed was under his seasonal average and he labored more as the game wore on. Even so, he displayed glimpses of his typical command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to extend his World Series record. But the Blue Jays made him work: six base hits and four runs were charged to him in over six innings.

Late Game Rally

The larger issue for Los Angeles was what followed when Ohtani finally lost steam.

Varsho opened the seventh inning with a sharp single to right field, and Ernie Clement smashed a double off the wall to put runners on with none out. Roberts had little choice but to pull the starter, who departed to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Dodgers' relief corps could not complete the escape.

Banda came into the jam and right away trailed in the count. Giménez fought to a full count before scoring the runner 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 Banda out of the contest. Treinen came in next but also was unable to stop the momentum: Bichette and Addison Barger punched run-scoring base hits through the diamond, capping a four-score barrage that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Toronto's ability to absorb initial blows and answer has defined their entire run. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the injured leadoff hitter who left the third game after straining his right side.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was everything Toronto needed. Traded for during the summer while finishing rehab from elbow surgery, the former Cy Young winner stranded multiple baserunners and silenced the Dodgers' dangerous lineup. He allowed one earned run on four base hits and three walks before Schneider summoned first-year left-hander Fluharty to confront the heart of the order in the sixth inning. Fluharty needed just four pitches to retire Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a fragile lead that soon grew comfortable.

Former starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' bats kept to sputter. The Dodgers have scored only 3 runs over their previous 20 innings, an abrupt slowdown for a team that was among MLB's elite lineups all year.

Final Innings

The Los Angeles scraped a score in the ninth when Edman hit into an out to score Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's two-base hit put two aboard. But Louis Varland closed it down without allowing a comeback to build.

After a night when Toronto stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and collapsed after wave upon wave of missed chances, the fourth contest was ruthlessly effective. Six separate Toronto players collected hits, 5 drove in scores and the team cashed almost every scoring opportunity available in the late stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The win ensures the championship trophy will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not celebrated a title since Carter's famous walk-off home run in '93. They now know they are guaranteed a full crowd in Canada on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game approaches with the series reset and energy shifting to Toronto. Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Blue Jays's surge. The Blue Jays respond with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Toronto chased the starter early in an 11-4 victory.