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Less than a day following staggering through one of the most draining losses in World Series annals, the Blue Jays displayed total command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run home run and Bieber provided a steady outing as the Blue Jays beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, tying the World Series at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the series will head back to Canada.

Toronto had spent the early hours of Tuesday dealing with their marathon Game 3 loss – equal to the lengthiest Fall Classic contest ever – a defeat that denied them the opportunity to lead the matchup and burned through both bullpens. Skipper John Schneider stated later that “they took a contest, not the World Series”. A day later, his team offered emphatic evidence.

Early Innings

The Los Angeles again scored first. Max Muncy walked in the second, advanced on a base hit and crossed the plate on Hernández's fly out. But the early breakthrough did not shake a Toronto club that topped Major League Baseball with 49 comeback victories this season.

They answered right away in the third inning. Nathan Lukes hit a one away single to centre and Guerrero came to the plate hunting a breaking ball. Ohtani left a sweeper up and Guerrero drove it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his first extra-base hit of the World Series and his seventh homer this postseason – a new team mark – restoring the Toronto's advantage after 13 shutout innings and changing the momentum of the night.

Shohei's Night

That swing also ended Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 consecutive at-bats getting on base. The dual-threat phenomenon had hit two homers and reached safely a historic nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 comeback win. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on short rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the prior extra-inning game.

His pitch speed was under his seasonal average and he labored more as the game progressed. Nonetheless, he showed glimpses of his usual control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first to continue his Fall Classic streak. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six base hits and four earned runs were charged to him in over six innings.

Seventh Inning Rally

The bigger issue for the Dodgers was what came next when he finally lost energy.

Varsho started the seventh inning with a sharp hit to right field, and Ernie Clement smashed a two-base hit off the wall to put runners on with none out. Roberts had little choice but to remove the starter, who exited to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not finish the inning.

Banda came into the mess and right away trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before driving in 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 knock Banda out of the game. Treinen came in next but also was unable to stop the momentum: Bichette and Barger punched RBI base hits through the diamond, completing a four-run outburst that extended the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Toronto's capacity to absorb initial setbacks and respond has characterized their entire run. They once again succeeded without Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order hitter who left the third game after tweaking his oblique.

Bieber, in contrast, was everything Toronto needed. Acquired during the summer while finishing rehab from elbow surgery, the former award-winning winner stranded multiple runners and quieted the Dodgers' potent lineup. He allowed one run on four hits and three free passes before Schneider summoned rookie pitcher Mason Fluharty to confront the core of the lineup in the sixth inning. He required just 4 throws to get out Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a fragile lead that quickly grew safe.

Former starter Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' offense continued to struggle. Los Angeles have produced only three runs over their previous 20 frames, an sudden downturn for a team that was among MLB's top offenses all season.

Final Innings

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

Following a game when Toronto left a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after repeated of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was ruthlessly effective. 6 separate Toronto players recorded hits, 5 brought home scores and the team cashed nearly every scoring opportunity presented in the final stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The victory guarantees the championship trophy will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not won a title since Carter's iconic walk-off homer in 1993. They now know they are assured a full house in Toronto on Friday evening – and perhaps the next day – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 looms with the series reset and momentum shifting north. Los Angeles pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Blue Jays's momentum. Toronto counter with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Blue Jays chased Snell quickly in an decisive win.