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Less than a day following staggering through one of the most exhausting defeats in World Series history, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed total command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run homer and Bieber provided a steady start as the Blue Jays beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, tying the World Series at two wins apiece and ensuring the matchup will return to Canada.

The Blue Jays had passed the morning of Tuesday dealing with their marathon third game defeat – tied for the longest World Series contest ever – a defeat that cost them the opportunity to take the lead in the matchup and depleted both bullpens. Manager John Schneider insisted afterwards that “the Dodgers won a contest, not the World Series”. A day later, his team offered convincing evidence.

Initial Innings

The Los Angeles again scored first. Muncy walked in the second inning, advanced on a base hit and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial breakthrough did not shake a Blue Jays team that led Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind victories this season.

They answered immediately in the third. Nathan Lukes lined a one away base hit to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate hunting a breaking ball. Ohtani left a sweeper up and he sent it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his initial extra-base hit of the World Series and his seventh home run this postseason – a new club record – restoring the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 shutout frames and changing the tone of the night.

Shohei's Night

That hit also ended Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 straight at-bats getting on base. The dual-threat phenomenon had smashed two home runs and got on base a record nine times in the Los Angeles' third game walk-off. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on short rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the previous extra-inning game.

Ohtani fastball velocity sat below his regular-season average and he labored more as the game progressed. Even so, he showed glimpses of his typical control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and striking out six. He even walked in the first inning to continue his World Series streak. But the Toronto made him work: six hits and four earned runs were charged to him in six-plus frames.

Late Game Surge

The larger issue for Los Angeles was what followed when Ohtani eventually lost steam.

Daulton Varsho started the seventh with a sharp hit to right field, and Clement drilled a two-base hit off the wall to put two on with no outs. Roberts had no option but to remove Ohtani, who departed to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Dodgers' relief corps could not finish the inning.

Banda inherited the mess and right away trailed in the count. Giménez fought to a full count before scoring the runner with a base hit to left field. Ty France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock Banda out of the game. Treinen came in next but also failed to stop the rally: Bo Bichette and Barger punched run-scoring base hits through the infield, completing a four-score outburst that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Blue Jays's ability to withstand early blows and answer has characterized their whole run. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the injured top-of-the-order man who exited Game 3 after tweaking his right side.

Shane 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 stranded several runners and quieted the Los Angeles' dangerous lineup. He gave up one run on four hits and three walks before Schneider summoned rookie pitcher Mason Fluharty to face the heart of the lineup in the sixth inning. He required just four throws to retire Max Muncy and Edman, preserving a fragile advantage that quickly became safe.

Converted starter Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' bats kept to sputter. Los Angeles have produced only 3 runs over their last 20 frames, an abrupt downturn for a team that was among baseball's top lineups all year.

Final Moments

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

After a night when Toronto stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after wave upon wave of missed opportunities, Game 4 was brutally efficient. Six different Toronto players collected base hits, five brought home scores and the squad converted almost every run-scoring opportunity available in the late innings.

Looking Ahead

The victory guarantees the championship title will be presented at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not celebrated a championship since Joe Carter's iconic game-winning home run in 1993. They now are aware they are assured a full crowd in Toronto on Friday evening – and possibly the next day – no matter what occurs next in LA.

Game 5 approaches with the matchup reset and momentum shifting north. Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Toronto's surge. The Blue Jays counter with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Blue Jays chased the starter quickly in an 11-4 win.