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Only 24 hours after staggering through one of the most exhausting losses in Fall Classic history, the Toronto Blue Jays played with total control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber delivered a steady outing as Toronto defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, squaring the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and ensuring the series will return to Canada.

The Blue Jays had spent the morning of Tuesday dealing with their 18-inning Game 3 loss – tied for the lengthiest Fall Classic game ever – a loss that denied them the chance to take the lead in the series and burned through both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider insisted afterwards that “they won a contest, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad provided convincing evidence.

Initial Action

The Los Angeles again scored first. Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, advanced on a single and scored on Hernández's fly out. But the initial score did not shake a Toronto team that led Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind victories this season.

They answered immediately in the third. Lukes hit a one away single to center field and Guerrero came to the plate hunting a breaking ball. Ohtani threw a slider up and Guerrero sent it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his first long hit of the series and his seventh home run this playoffs – a fresh team record – restoring the Toronto's lead after 13 shutout innings and shifting the momentum of the night.

Shohei's Night

That hit also ended Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 straight at-bats getting on base. The two-way star had smashed two homers and reached safely a record nine times in the Los Angeles' third game comeback win. But on that night, he started on limited rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the previous extra-inning game.

Ohtani fastball velocity was below his seasonal norm and he labored more as the game progressed. Nonetheless, he displayed glimpses of his usual control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and fanning six. He even drew a walk 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.

Seventh Inning Surge

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

Varsho opened the seventh inning with a sharp hit to right, and Ernie Clement smashed a double off the wall to put runners on with none out. Roberts had little choice but to pull the starter, who departed to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not finish the inning.

Anthony Banda inherited the mess and right away fell behind. Andrés Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before driving in the runner with a base hit to left. Ty France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock Banda out of the game. Treinen came in next but also failed to stop the momentum: Bichette and Addison Barger punched RBI base hits through the diamond, completing a four-run barrage that extended the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Toronto's ability to absorb early setbacks and respond has characterized their entire run. They once again succeeded without Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order hitter who left the third game after straining his oblique.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what Toronto required. Traded for mid-season while finishing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the former Cy Young winner stranded several runners and quieted the Los Angeles' dangerous batting order. He allowed one earned run on four base hits and three free passes before the manager summoned first-year left-hander Fluharty to face the core of the order in the sixth inning. He needed just 4 pitches to retire Max Muncy and Edman, protecting a narrow lead that soon grew comfortable.

Converted starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' offense kept to sputter. The Dodgers have produced only 3 runs over their last 20 innings, an sudden downturn for a team that ranked among MLB's elite lineups all year.

Final Innings

The Los Angeles managed a run in the ninth when Tommy Edman hit into an out to score Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Muncy's double put two aboard. But Varland finished the game without permitting a comeback to build.

After a night when Toronto left a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after wave upon wave of wasted opportunities, Game 4 was ruthlessly effective. Six different Toronto players recorded base hits, 5 drove in scores and the squad cashed nearly every scoring chance available in the late stanzas.

Next Up

The victory ensures the World Series title will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not celebrated a championship since Joe Carter's iconic game-winning home run in '93. They now know they are guaranteed a packed house in Toronto on Friday night – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 looms with the matchup even and momentum swinging to Toronto. Los Angeles left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Toronto's surge. Toronto counter with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Blue Jays chased Snell quickly in an decisive win.