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Less than a day after enduring one of the most draining defeats in Fall Classic history, the Blue Jays played with complete command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run home run and Bieber delivered a steady outing as Toronto defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, tying the World Series at two wins apiece and ensuring the matchup will head back to Canada.

Toronto had spent the morning of the next day processing their 18-inning Game 3 loss – equal to the lengthiest Fall Classic game ever – a defeat that denied them the opportunity to take the lead in the matchup and burned through both bullpens. Manager Schneider stated afterwards that “the Dodgers took a contest, not the World Series”. A day later, his squad provided convincing evidence.

Early Innings

The Los Angeles again scored first. Muncy walked in the second, advanced on a single and scored on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the early score did not rattle a Toronto team that led Major League Baseball with 49 comeback victories this year.

They answered right away in the third inning. Nathan Lukes hit a one-out base hit to center field and Guerrero came to the plate looking for a curveball. Ohtani left a slider up and he drove it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his first long hit of the series and his 7th home run this playoffs – a new team mark – restoring the Toronto's lead after 13 shutout frames and changing the tone of the game.

Shohei's Performance

That hit also ended Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 straight plate appearances getting on base. The dual-threat star had smashed two homers and reached safely a record nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 comeback win. But on that night, he took the mound on limited rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the prior marathon.

His fastball velocity sat below his regular-season average and he labored more as the game wore on. Nonetheless, he showed flashes of his usual control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to extend his World Series streak. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six base hits and four earned runs were charged to him in six-plus frames.

Seventh Inning Surge

The bigger problem for Los Angeles was what followed when Ohtani finally lost energy.

Varsho opened the seventh inning with a sharp single to right field, and Ernie Clement drilled a double off the fence to put two on with no outs. Dave Roberts had no option but to remove Ohtani, who departed to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not complete the escape.

Anthony Banda inherited the jam and immediately trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before scoring the runner with a base hit to left. France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock the pitcher out of the contest. Treinen entered next but also failed to stop the rally: Bichette and Addison Barger hit RBI singles through the diamond, capping a four-run outburst that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Blue Jays's capacity to withstand initial blows and respond has characterized their entire postseason. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order man who left the third game after tweaking his oblique.

Bieber, meanwhile, was everything Toronto needed. Traded for mid-season while finishing recovery from elbow surgery, the ex- award-winning winner left several runners and silenced the Los Angeles' dangerous batting order. He allowed one earned run on four base hits and three walks before Schneider summoned rookie left-hander Fluharty to confront the heart of the lineup in the sixth inning. Fluharty required just 4 pitches to get out Muncy and Edman, protecting a fragile lead that quickly became comfortable.

Converted starter Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' bats kept to sputter. Los Angeles have scored only 3 runs over their previous 20 frames, an sudden slowdown for a team that ranked among MLB's elite lineups all year.

Closing Innings

The Dodgers scraped a run in the ninth when Edman hit into an out to bring home Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's two-base hit put runners on base. But Varland closed it down without allowing a comeback to build.

After a night when Toronto stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and fell apart after repeated of wasted chances, the fourth contest was ruthlessly effective. Six separate Blue Jays recorded hits, five drove in runs and the team converted almost every scoring opportunity available in the final stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The win guarantees the World Series trophy will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not celebrated a championship since Joe Carter's iconic walk-off homer in '93. They now are aware they are guaranteed a packed house in Toronto on Friday night – and perhaps the next day – no matter what happens next in LA.

The fifth game looms with the series even and momentum shifting to Toronto. Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Blue Jays's momentum. The Blue Jays counter with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Toronto knocked out Snell quickly in an 11-4 win.