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

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run homer and Bieber provided a composed outing as the Blue Jays beat the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, squaring the World Series at two games each and guaranteeing the series will return to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had passed the morning of Tuesday processing their 18-inning third game defeat – equal to the lengthiest Fall Classic game ever – a loss that denied them the opportunity to take the lead in the series and burned through both bullpens. Manager Schneider insisted later that “they took a contest, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his team provided convincing evidence.

Early Action

The Dodgers again scored first. Muncy drew a walk in the second, advanced on a single and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the early score did not shake a Blue Jays club that led Major League Baseball with 49 comeback victories this year.

They answered immediately in the third inning. Lukes lined a one-out base hit to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in hunting a curveball. Shohei Ohtani left a sweeper up and he sent it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his initial long hit of the series and his 7th home run this playoffs – a fresh club mark – restoring the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 scoreless frames and shifting the tone of the game.

Ohtani's Performance

That swing also ended Ohtani's history-making run of 11 consecutive plate appearances reaching base. The two-way star had smashed two home runs and got on base a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 walk-off. But on Tuesday, he started on limited rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the prior marathon.

His pitch speed sat under his seasonal average and he struggled more as the game wore on. Even so, he displayed glimpses of his typical 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 over six innings.

Late Game Surge

The larger issue for Los Angeles was what followed when he eventually ran out of energy.

Varsho started the seventh inning with a sharp hit to right field, and Ernie Clement drilled a two-base hit off the fence to put runners on with no outs. Dave Roberts had little choice but to remove Ohtani, who departed to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Dodgers' relief corps could not finish the inning.

Anthony Banda came into the mess and right away trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before driving in the runner with a base hit to left. Ty France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove the pitcher out of the contest. Treinen entered next but also failed to stem the rally: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger hit RBI singles through the diamond, capping a four-score barrage that extended the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Toronto's ability to absorb initial setbacks and answer has defined their whole run. They once again did it without George Springer, the injured leadoff man who left Game 3 after straining his oblique.

Bieber, in contrast, was everything Toronto needed. Traded for mid-season while finishing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the former Cy Young winner stranded multiple runners and silenced the Los Angeles' dangerous batting order. He gave up one earned run on four hits and three walks before Schneider summoned first-year pitcher Mason Fluharty to face the heart of the order in the sixth. Fluharty required just 4 throws to get out Muncy and Edman, protecting a narrow lead that soon grew comfortable.

Converted starter Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' bats continued to struggle. The Dodgers have produced only three scores over their last 20 frames, an abrupt downturn for a team that ranked among MLB's top lineups all season.

Closing Moments

The Los Angeles scraped a run in the ninth when Edman grounded out to bring home Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's double put runners on base. But Varland finished the game without allowing a rally to develop.

Following a night when the Blue Jays left a World Series-record 19 runners and collapsed after wave upon wave of missed chances, the fourth contest was brutally effective. Six different Blue Jays recorded hits, 5 drove in runs and the squad cashed nearly every scoring opportunity presented in the final innings.

Looking Ahead

The win ensures the World Series title will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a championship since Joe Carter's famous game-winning home run in 1993. They now are aware they are assured a full crowd in Toronto on Friday night – and perhaps the next day – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game approaches with the series reset and momentum shifting north. Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Toronto's momentum. Toronto respond with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Blue Jays knocked out the starter quickly in an decisive victory.