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

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run homer and Bieber delivered a composed start as the Blue Jays defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, tying the Fall Classic at two games each and guaranteeing the series will return to Canada.

The Blue Jays had spent the early hours of Tuesday processing their 18-inning third game defeat – tied for the lengthiest Fall Classic contest ever – a defeat that cost them the chance to take the lead in the series and depleted both bullpens. Manager Schneider stated later that “the Dodgers took a game, not the championship”. A day later, his squad provided convincing proof.

Initial Innings

The Los Angeles again struck first. Max Muncy walked in the second, advanced on a single and crossed the plate on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial breakthrough did not shake a Blue Jays team that topped Major League Baseball with 49 comeback wins this year.

They answered immediately in the third inning. Lukes hit a one-out base hit to center field and Guerrero stepped in hunting a curveball. Ohtani left a sweeper up and he sent it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his first long hit of the series and his seventh home run this postseason – a fresh club record – restoring the Blue Jays's lead after 13 scoreless frames and changing the momentum of the night.

Ohtani's Performance

That hit also halted Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 consecutive at-bats reaching base. The two-way phenomenon had smashed two home runs and got on base a record nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 walk-off. But on that night, he took the mound on limited rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the previous marathon.

His pitch speed sat under his seasonal average and he struggled more as the game wore on. Nonetheless, he showed glimpses of his usual control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first to continue his Fall Classic record. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six base hits and four runs were credited to him in six-plus frames.

Late Game Surge

The larger problem for the Dodgers was what came next when he eventually ran out of energy.

Varsho started the seventh with a sharp hit to right, and Clement smashed a two-base hit off the fence to put two on with none out. Roberts had no option but to remove the starter, who departed to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Dodgers' bullpen could not complete the inning.

Anthony Banda inherited the mess and right away fell behind. Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before scoring the runner with a single to left field. Ty France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove the pitcher out of the contest. Treinen came in next but also failed to stem the rally: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger hit RBI singles through the infield, capping a four-score outburst that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Toronto's capacity to withstand initial setbacks and respond has characterized their entire postseason. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order hitter who exited Game 3 after straining his oblique.

Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what the Blue Jays required. Traded for mid-season while completing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the former Cy Young winner left multiple runners and quieted the Dodgers' dangerous batting order. He allowed one run on four base hits and three walks before Schneider summoned rookie pitcher Mason Fluharty to face the heart of the lineup in the sixth. He required just 4 pitches to get out Muncy and Edman, protecting a fragile advantage that quickly became safe.

Former starter Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' offense kept to struggle. The Dodgers have produced only 3 scores over their previous 20 frames, an abrupt downturn for a club that was among baseball's elite offenses all year.

Final Moments

The Los Angeles managed a run in the ninth inning when Edman hit into an out to score Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's two-base hit put two aboard. But Varland finished the game without allowing a rally to build.

Following a night when Toronto left a World Series-record 19 runners and collapsed after repeated of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was brutally effective. 6 separate Blue Jays collected hits, 5 brought home runs and the squad converted almost every run-scoring chance presented in the final stanzas.

Next Up

The win guarantees the World Series trophy will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not celebrated a championship since Joe Carter's famous walk-off homer in 1993. They now know they are guaranteed a packed crowd in Canada on Friday evening – and possibly the next day – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game approaches with the matchup even and momentum shifting to Toronto. Dodgers left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Blue Jays's surge. Toronto respond with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Toronto knocked out Snell quickly in an decisive win.