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Only 24 hours following enduring one of the most draining defeats in World Series history, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed total control.

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

Toronto had spent the early hours of the next day dealing with their 18-inning Game 3 loss – tied for the lengthiest Fall Classic game ever – a defeat that denied them the opportunity to lead the series and burned through both relief corps. Skipper Schneider insisted afterwards that “the Dodgers took a game, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad provided convincing evidence.

Early Innings

The Los Angeles again scored first. Muncy drew a walk in the second, moved up on a single and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early score did not shake a Toronto club that led Major League Baseball with 49 comeback victories this year.

They answered right away in the third inning. Nathan Lukes lined a one away base hit to center field and Guerrero stepped in looking for a curveball. Ohtani left a slider up and Guerrero drove it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his first extra-base hit of the World Series and his 7th homer this postseason – a new club record – regaining the Toronto's advantage after 13 shutout frames and changing the tone of the night.

Ohtani's Night

That swing also ended Shohei Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 straight at-bats reaching base. The dual-threat phenomenon had hit two homers and got on base a record nine times in the Los Angeles' third game walk-off. But on that night, he took the mound on short rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the prior extra-inning game.

Ohtani pitch speed sat below his seasonal norm and he struggled more as the game progressed. Nonetheless, he displayed flashes of his usual control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and fanning six. He even walked in the first inning to extend his World Series streak. But the Blue Jays made him work: six hits and four earned runs were credited to him in over six frames.

Late Game Rally

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

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh with a sharp single to right field, and 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 home crowd. The Dodgers' bullpen could not complete the escape.

Banda inherited the jam and right away trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez battled to a full count before scoring the runner with a single to left. France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove Banda out of the game. Treinen came in next but also failed to stem the rally: Bo Bichette and Barger hit RBI base hits through the infield, capping a four-score barrage that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Toronto's ability to withstand initial blows and answer has characterized their whole run. They once again did it without George Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order man who exited Game 3 after straining his right side.

Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what Toronto needed. Traded for during the summer while completing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner left several baserunners and silenced the Los Angeles' dangerous batting order. He allowed one run on four hits and three free passes before Schneider called on rookie pitcher Mason Fluharty to face the core of the lineup in the sixth inning. Fluharty needed just four throws to retire Muncy and Edman, preserving a fragile advantage that quickly grew comfortable.

Former starter Chris Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' bats continued to sputter. Los Angeles have scored only three runs over their previous 20 frames, an abrupt slowdown for a team that ranked among MLB's top lineups all season.

Final Innings

The Dodgers scraped a score in the ninth inning when Edman grounded out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's two-base hit put runners on base. But Varland finished the game without allowing a comeback to develop.

Following a night when the Blue Jays left a World Series-record 19 runners and fell apart after repeated of missed chances, the fourth contest was ruthlessly effective. Six separate Blue Jays recorded base hits, 5 brought home scores and the team converted nearly every run-scoring chance available in the late innings.

Next Up

The victory ensures the championship trophy will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not won a title since Carter's famous game-winning home run in '93. They now know they are assured a full crowd in Canada on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what occurs next in LA.

The fifth game approaches with the matchup even and energy swinging to Toronto. Dodgers pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Blue Jays's momentum. Toronto respond with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Toronto chased Snell quickly in an decisive win.