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Less than a day following staggering through one of the most draining losses in Fall Classic history, the Blue Jays played with complete command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run homer and Bieber provided a steady outing as Toronto defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, tying the World Series at two games each and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Canada.

The Blue Jays had passed the morning of Tuesday processing their 18-inning Game 3 loss – tied for the longest Fall Classic contest ever – a loss that cost them the opportunity to take the lead in the matchup and burned through both bullpens. Manager Schneider insisted later that “the Dodgers won a contest, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad provided emphatic evidence.

Early Innings

The Dodgers again struck first. Muncy drew a walk in the second, moved up on a single and scored on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial score did not rattle a Blue Jays team that led MLB with 49 comeback wins this season.

They answered right away in the third. Nathan Lukes hit a one-out base hit to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in looking for a breaking ball. Ohtani left a slider up and Guerrero drove it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his initial extra-base hit of the series and his seventh homer this playoffs – a fresh team record – regaining the Toronto's advantage after 13 shutout frames and changing the momentum of the game.

Ohtani's Night

That swing also halted Shohei Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 consecutive plate appearances getting on base. The dual-threat phenomenon had smashed two home runs and reached safely a record nine times in the Los Angeles' third game walk-off. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on short rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the previous marathon.

Ohtani pitch speed sat under his seasonal average and he struggled more as the contest wore on. Nonetheless, he showed flashes of his typical control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and striking out six. He even walked in the first inning to extend his World Series record. But the Toronto made him work: six hits and four earned runs were charged to him in six-plus innings.

Seventh Inning Surge

The bigger issue for Los Angeles was what followed when he finally ran out of energy.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh with a clean single to right field, and Clement smashed a double off the fence to put two on with no outs. Roberts had little choice but to remove Ohtani, who departed to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Dodgers' relief corps could not finish the escape.

Anthony Banda inherited the jam and immediately fell behind. Andrés Giménez fought to a full count before scoring the runner with a single to left. France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove the pitcher out of the contest. Blake Treinen entered next but also failed to stop the momentum: Bichette and Addison Barger punched run-scoring singles through the diamond, completing a four-score barrage that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Blue Jays's capacity to absorb early setbacks and answer has characterized their whole postseason. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the injured top-of-the-order hitter who left the third game after straining his oblique.

Bieber, meanwhile, was everything the Blue Jays required. Traded for mid-season while finishing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the ex- award-winning winner stranded multiple baserunners and quieted the Los Angeles' potent lineup. He allowed one run on four base hits and three walks before the manager called on first-year left-hander Mason Fluharty to confront the heart of the order in the sixth inning. Fluharty needed just 4 throws to get out Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a fragile lead that soon became comfortable.

Former starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' offense continued to struggle. The Dodgers have produced only three runs over their last 20 frames, an abrupt slowdown for a team that was among baseball's elite lineups all year.

Final Innings

The Dodgers managed a run in the ninth when Edman grounded out to score Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's double put two on base. But Louis Varland finished the game without allowing a comeback to build.

Following a game when Toronto left a World Series-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after wave upon wave of wasted opportunities, Game 4 was ruthlessly effective. 6 separate Blue Jays collected hits, 5 drove in runs and the squad converted nearly every scoring chance available in the final stanzas.

Next Up

The win ensures the championship trophy will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a title since Carter's iconic game-winning homer in 1993. They now are aware they are guaranteed a full crowd in Toronto on Friday night – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 approaches with the matchup reset and energy shifting to Toronto. Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Toronto's momentum. Toronto counter with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Toronto knocked out Snell early in an decisive victory.