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Less than a day following staggering through one of the most draining losses in Fall Classic history, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed total command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run home run and Bieber delivered a steady outing as the Blue Jays defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, tying the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Canada.

The Blue Jays had spent the morning of Tuesday dealing with their 18-inning Game 3 loss – tied for the lengthiest World Series game ever – a loss that cost them the chance to take the lead in the series and depleted both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider stated later that “they won a contest, not the World Series”. A day later, his squad offered convincing proof.

Initial Action

The Los Angeles again struck first. Muncy walked in the second inning, moved up on a base hit and scored on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial breakthrough did not rattle a Toronto club that led MLB with 49 comeback wins this season.

They answered right away in the third inning. Nathan Lukes hit a one-out single to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate hunting a curveball. Ohtani left a slider up and he drove it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his first extra-base hit of the series and his 7th home run this postseason – a fresh team mark – restoring the Blue Jays's lead after 13 shutout innings and changing the momentum of the night.

Ohtani's Performance

That swing also halted Shohei Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 straight plate appearances reaching base. The two-way phenomenon had hit two home runs and got on base a record nine times in the Dodgers' third game walk-off. But on that night, he started on short rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the prior extra-inning game.

His pitch speed was below his regular-season norm and he struggled more as the contest wore on. Even so, he showed glimpses of his usual command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first to continue his World Series streak. But the Blue Jays made him work: six hits and four runs were charged to him in over six frames.

Seventh Inning Rally

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

Daulton Varsho started the seventh inning with a clean hit to right, and Clement drilled a double off the fence to put runners on with no outs. Roberts had little choice but to remove the starter, who departed to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Dodgers' bullpen could not finish the escape.

Anthony Banda came into the jam and right away trailed in the count. Giménez fought to a full count before scoring the runner with a single to left field. 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 failed to stem the rally: Bichette and Addison Barger hit run-scoring singles through the infield, capping a four-score outburst that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

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

Bieber, in contrast, was everything Toronto needed. Acquired mid-season while finishing recovery from elbow surgery, the former Cy Young winner stranded multiple baserunners and quieted the Dodgers' dangerous batting order. He gave up one run on four base hits and three free passes before Schneider called on rookie left-hander Fluharty to face the core of the lineup in the sixth. Fluharty required just four throws to get out Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a fragile advantage that soon became safe.

Former starting pitcher Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' offense continued to sputter. Los Angeles have scored only 3 runs over their previous 20 innings, an abrupt downturn for a club that ranked among MLB's top offenses all year.

Closing Innings

The Los Angeles managed a run in the ninth when Edman grounded out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Muncy's double put two on base. But Varland closed it down without allowing a rally to develop.

Following a game when the Blue Jays left a World Series-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after wave upon wave of wasted chances, Game 4 was brutally efficient. Six separate Blue Jays collected base hits, five drove in scores and the squad converted almost every scoring chance available in the late stanzas.

Next Up

The victory guarantees the championship title will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a title since Carter's iconic walk-off homer in 1993. They now are aware they are assured a packed house in Toronto on Friday evening – and possibly Saturday – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 looms with the series reset and energy shifting north. Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Blue Jays's momentum. Toronto respond with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Blue Jays chased the starter quickly in an 11-4 victory.