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Less than a day after enduring one of the most draining losses in Fall Classic history, the Blue Jays displayed complete control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run homer and Bieber provided a composed start as the Blue Jays defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, squaring the Fall Classic at two games each and ensuring the series will return to Canada.

The Blue Jays had spent the early hours of the next day dealing with their marathon third game defeat – tied for the lengthiest Fall Classic contest ever – a loss that cost them the opportunity to take the lead in the series and burned through both bullpens. Skipper John Schneider insisted afterwards that “they took a game, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his team provided emphatic proof.

Early Action

The Dodgers again struck first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second, advanced on a single and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early breakthrough did not rattle a Toronto team that led MLB with 49 comeback victories this season.

They responded immediately in the third. Nathan Lukes hit a one away base hit to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in hunting a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani threw a sweeper up and he drove it soaring 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 lead after 13 shutout innings and shifting the momentum of the night.

Ohtani's Performance

That swing also ended Shohei Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 straight plate appearances reaching base. The dual-threat phenomenon had smashed two homers and reached safely a historic nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 comeback win. But on that night, he took the mound on short rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the previous marathon.

Ohtani pitch speed sat under his seasonal average and he labored more as the game progressed. Nonetheless, he showed flashes of his usual command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and striking out six. He even walked in the first inning to extend his Fall Classic record. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six hits and four runs were charged to him in six-plus innings.

Seventh Inning Surge

The larger problem for Los Angeles was what came next when he eventually lost energy.

Varsho opened the seventh with a clean single to right field, and Ernie Clement smashed a two-base hit off the fence to put two on with no outs. Roberts had little choice but to remove Ohtani, who exited to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Dodgers' relief corps could not finish the escape.

Anthony 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 groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock the pitcher out of the contest. Blake Treinen came in next but also failed to stop the momentum: Bichette and Addison Barger hit run-scoring singles through the infield, capping a four-score outburst that extended the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Blue Jays's capacity to absorb early setbacks and respond has characterized their entire postseason. They once again did it without George Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order hitter who left Game 3 after tweaking his right side.

Bieber, meanwhile, was everything Toronto required. Traded for during the summer while finishing recovery from elbow surgery, the former Cy Young winner stranded several runners and silenced the Dodgers' potent lineup. He allowed one earned 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 lineup in the sixth inning. Fluharty needed just 4 pitches to retire Max Muncy and Edman, preserving a fragile lead that quickly became comfortable.

Former starter Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' offense kept to sputter. Los Angeles have scored only three runs over their last 20 innings, an sudden downturn for a club that was among baseball's elite offenses all season.

Closing Innings

The Los Angeles managed a score in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman hit into an out to score Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's double put runners on base. But Louis Varland closed it down without allowing a rally to build.

Following a night when Toronto stranded a World Series-record 19 runners and collapsed after repeated of wasted opportunities, Game 4 was ruthlessly effective. Six separate Toronto players recorded base hits, 5 drove in scores and the team cashed nearly every scoring opportunity available in the final stanzas.

Next Up

The victory ensures the World Series trophy will be presented at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not won a championship since Joe Carter's iconic walk-off home run in '93. They now are aware they are guaranteed a packed house in Toronto on Friday night – and possibly the next day – no matter what happens next in LA.

The fifth game looms with the matchup reset and energy shifting north. Los Angeles left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Toronto's surge. The Blue Jays respond with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Toronto knocked out Snell quickly in an 11-4 win.