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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 command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber delivered a steady outing as Toronto defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, squaring the World Series at two wins apiece and ensuring the series will return to Canada.

Toronto had spent the morning of the next day processing their 18-inning Game 3 loss – equal to the lengthiest Fall Classic contest ever – a defeat that cost them the opportunity to lead the series and depleted both bullpens. Manager Schneider insisted afterwards that “they won a game, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad provided emphatic evidence.

Initial Innings

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

They answered immediately in the third. Nathan Lukes lined a one-out base hit to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in looking for a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani threw a slider up and he sent it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his first extra-base hit of the series and his 7th homer this postseason – a fresh team record – regaining the Toronto's advantage after 13 scoreless frames and changing the momentum of the game.

Ohtani's Performance

That hit also ended Shohei Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 consecutive plate appearances getting on base. The dual-threat phenomenon had hit two homers and reached safely a historic nine times in the Dodgers' third game comeback win. But on that night, he started on limited rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the previous marathon.

His fastball velocity was below his seasonal norm and he struggled more as the game progressed. Even so, he displayed glimpses of his typical command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and striking out six. He even walked in the first to continue his Fall Classic record. But the Toronto made him work: six base hits and four runs were charged to him in six-plus innings.

Seventh Inning Surge

The larger problem for Los Angeles was what followed when Ohtani finally lost energy.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh with a sharp hit to right, and Ernie Clement drilled a double off the wall to put runners on with no outs. Roberts had little choice but to remove the starter, who departed to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not complete the escape.

Banda came into the jam and immediately trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before scoring Varsho with a single to left field. Ty France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove Banda out of the game. Treinen entered next but also failed to stem the momentum: Bichette and Barger hit RBI singles through the diamond, completing a four-run barrage that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Toronto's capacity to absorb early blows and respond has defined their entire run. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the injured top-of-the-order man who exited Game 3 after straining his oblique.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what the Blue Jays required. Acquired mid-season while completing recovery from elbow surgery, the former Cy Young winner stranded several baserunners and silenced the Dodgers' dangerous lineup. He allowed one earned run on four base hits and three walks before the manager called on first-year pitcher Mason Fluharty to confront the core of the order in the sixth. He required just 4 throws to get out Muncy and Edman, preserving a fragile advantage that soon became comfortable.

Converted starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' offense continued to sputter. Los Angeles have scored only three scores over their last 20 frames, an abrupt slowdown for a team that ranked among MLB's elite lineups all season.

Final Innings

The Dodgers scraped a score in the ninth when Edman grounded out to score Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's double put two aboard. But Louis Varland finished the game without permitting a rally to build.

After a game when the Blue Jays stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after repeated of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was ruthlessly efficient. 6 separate Blue Jays collected hits, five brought home runs and the squad cashed almost every scoring opportunity presented in the late stanzas.

Next Up

The win ensures the championship title will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not won a title since Joe Carter's iconic game-winning home run in '93. They now know they are guaranteed a packed house in Toronto on Friday evening – and perhaps the next day – no matter what happens next in LA.

The fifth game looms with the series even and energy shifting north. Los Angeles pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Toronto's momentum. Toronto respond with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Toronto chased the starter early in an decisive win.