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Only 24 hours after staggering through one of the most draining losses in Fall Classic annals, the Toronto Blue Jays played with complete control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run homer and Bieber provided a steady start as Toronto beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, squaring the World Series at two wins apiece and ensuring the matchup will head back to Toronto.

Toronto had spent the early hours of the next day dealing with their marathon Game 3 loss – tied for the lengthiest World Series contest ever – a defeat that cost them the chance to take the lead in the series and depleted both bullpens. Manager Schneider insisted afterwards that “they took a game, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad offered emphatic evidence.

Early Innings

The Dodgers again scored first. Muncy drew a walk in the second, advanced on a single and crossed the plate on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial score did not shake a Toronto team that topped MLB with 49 come-from-behind wins this season.

They answered immediately in the third. Nathan Lukes lined a one away base hit to center field and Guerrero stepped in looking for a curveball. Shohei Ohtani left a sweeper up and Guerrero sent it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his initial long hit of the World Series and his 7th home run this postseason – a new club mark – restoring the Blue Jays's lead after 13 scoreless innings and shifting the tone of the night.

Shohei's Night

That hit also halted Shohei Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 consecutive plate appearances reaching base. The two-way phenomenon had hit two home runs and got on base a historic nine times in the Dodgers' third game comeback win. But on Tuesday, he started on short rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the prior marathon.

Ohtani pitch speed was below his regular-season average and he struggled more as the game wore on. Even so, he displayed flashes of his typical control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and fanning six. He even walked in the first inning to extend his Fall Classic record. But the Blue Jays made him work: six base hits and four runs were charged to him in six-plus innings.

Late Game Surge

The larger problem for Los Angeles was what came next when he finally ran out of energy.

Varsho opened the seventh inning with a clean hit to right, and Ernie Clement smashed a double off the wall to put runners on with no outs. Roberts had little choice but to remove the starter, who exited to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not complete the inning.

Anthony Banda inherited the jam and right away trailed in the count. Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before scoring 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 enough to knock the pitcher out of the contest. Treinen entered next but also was unable to stop the rally: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger hit RBI base hits through the diamond, capping a four-score outburst that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Toronto's capacity to withstand early setbacks and respond has defined their entire postseason. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order man who left the third game after straining his right side.

Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what Toronto needed. Acquired mid-season while completing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner stranded multiple baserunners and quieted the Los Angeles' dangerous lineup. He gave up one run on four base hits and three free passes before the manager summoned rookie left-hander Fluharty to confront the core of the lineup in the sixth. He required just 4 throws to retire Max Muncy and Edman, preserving a narrow advantage that quickly became comfortable.

Former starter Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' offense kept to struggle. The Dodgers have scored only 3 scores over their last 20 frames, an sudden downturn for a club that ranked among MLB's elite offenses all year.

Final Moments

The Los Angeles managed a score in the ninth when Tommy Edman grounded out to score Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's two-base hit put runners on base. But Louis Varland closed it down without permitting a comeback to build.

After a game when Toronto stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and fell apart after repeated of missed chances, the fourth contest was brutally effective. 6 separate Toronto players collected hits, five brought home scores and the squad cashed almost every run-scoring chance presented in the late innings.

Next Up

The victory ensures the World Series trophy will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not won a title since Joe Carter's famous walk-off homer in 1993. They now know they are guaranteed a packed crowd in Toronto on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 approaches with the series reset and energy shifting north. Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Toronto's surge. Toronto counter with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Blue Jays chased Snell quickly in an decisive win.