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Only 24 hours following enduring one of the most draining defeats in World Series annals, the Toronto Blue Jays played with complete control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber provided a steady outing as the Blue Jays defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, squaring the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and ensuring the series will head back to Toronto.

Toronto had spent the early hours of Tuesday dealing with their marathon third game defeat – tied for the lengthiest World Series contest ever – a defeat that denied them the opportunity to lead the series and depleted both relief corps. Manager John Schneider stated later that “they took a game, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad offered emphatic evidence.

Early Action

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

They responded immediately in the third inning. Nathan Lukes lined a one away single to center field and Guerrero came to the plate hunting a curveball. Shohei Ohtani left a sweeper up and Guerrero sent 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 fresh club mark – regaining the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 shutout frames and changing the tone of the night.

Shohei's Night

That swing also halted Shohei Ohtani's history-making run of 11 straight plate appearances reaching base. The dual-threat phenomenon had smashed two homers and reached safely a record nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 walk-off. But on that night, he started on short rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the previous extra-inning game.

Ohtani pitch speed was below his regular-season norm and he labored more as the contest progressed. Nonetheless, he displayed glimpses of his typical control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and fanning six. He even walked in the first inning to extend his Fall Classic streak. But the Blue Jays made him work: six hits and four earned runs were credited to him in over six innings.

Late Game Rally

The bigger issue for the Dodgers was what followed when Ohtani finally lost energy.

Daulton Varsho started the seventh inning with a sharp single to right, and Clement drilled a double off the fence to put runners on with no outs. Roberts had little choice but to pull Ohtani, who exited to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Dodgers' bullpen could not finish the inning.

Banda inherited the mess and right away fell behind. Andrés Giménez fought to a full count before driving in the runner with a single to left field. France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove the pitcher out of the game. Blake Treinen entered next but also was unable to stem the momentum: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger hit RBI singles through the diamond, capping a four-run outburst that extended the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Toronto's capacity to withstand initial setbacks and respond has defined their entire postseason. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the injured leadoff man who left Game 3 after tweaking his oblique.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what Toronto needed. Acquired mid-season while finishing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner stranded multiple runners and quieted the Dodgers' dangerous lineup. He allowed one run on four base hits and three free passes before Schneider called on rookie left-hander Fluharty to face the heart of the lineup in the sixth. Fluharty required just 4 throws to retire Muncy and Edman, protecting a fragile advantage that soon grew safe.

Converted starter Chris Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' offense continued to sputter. Los Angeles have produced only three runs over their last 20 frames, an sudden downturn for a team that was among MLB's elite offenses all season.

Closing Innings

The Dodgers scraped a score in the ninth when Tommy Edman hit into an out to score Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's two-base hit put runners on base. But Louis Varland closed it down without permitting a rally to develop.

After a game when Toronto stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after repeated of wasted opportunities, Game 4 was ruthlessly effective. Six different Toronto players collected hits, 5 drove in runs and the squad converted nearly every scoring opportunity available in the late innings.

Looking Ahead

The victory ensures the World Series trophy will be presented at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not won a championship since Joe Carter's iconic walk-off home run in '93. They now are aware they are guaranteed a full house in Canada on Friday evening – and possibly the next day – no matter what happens next in LA.

Game 5 approaches with the series even and energy shifting north. Los Angeles left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Blue Jays's momentum. The Blue Jays respond with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Blue Jays chased Snell early in an decisive victory.