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Only 24 hours following enduring one of the most draining losses in World Series annals, the Blue Jays displayed total control.

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

The Blue Jays had passed the early hours of the next day dealing with their 18-inning third game defeat – tied for the longest World Series contest ever – a loss that denied them the opportunity to lead the matchup and depleted both bullpens. Skipper John Schneider stated afterwards that “they took a game, not the World Series”. A day later, his squad provided emphatic evidence.

Early Innings

The Los Angeles again scored first. Max Muncy walked in the second, advanced on a single and scored on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial breakthrough did not rattle a Blue Jays club that topped Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind wins this year.

They responded immediately in the third inning. Nathan Lukes hit a one away single to centre and Guerrero stepped in hunting a breaking ball. Ohtani left a slider up and he sent it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his initial long hit of the series and his 7th homer this playoffs – a fresh team mark – restoring the Toronto's advantage after 13 scoreless innings and shifting the tone of the game.

Shohei's Performance

That hit also ended Ohtani's history-making run of 11 consecutive at-bats getting on base. The dual-threat phenomenon had hit two homers and reached safely a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' third game comeback win. But on that night, he took the mound on short rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the previous extra-inning game.

His pitch speed was below his seasonal norm and he labored more as the game wore on. Even so, he showed flashes of his usual command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and fanning six. He even walked in the first to continue 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 innings.

Seventh Inning Rally

The bigger issue for Los Angeles was what followed when he eventually lost energy.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh with a sharp hit to right, and Ernie Clement drilled a double off the fence to put runners on with no outs. Dave Roberts had little choice but to pull Ohtani, who exited to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not finish the escape.

Banda came into the mess and right away fell behind. Andrés Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before scoring the runner with a base hit to left field. France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove Banda out of the contest. Treinen came in next but also failed to stop the momentum: Bo Bichette and Barger hit run-scoring base hits through the infield, capping a four-score outburst that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Toronto's capacity to absorb early blows and respond has defined their whole run. They once again did it without Springer, the injured top-of-the-order man who exited Game 3 after tweaking his oblique.

Bieber, meanwhile, was everything Toronto required. Traded for during the summer while finishing recovery from elbow surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner left several runners and quieted the Dodgers' dangerous lineup. He gave up one earned run on four hits and three free passes before Schneider called on rookie left-hander Mason Fluharty to confront the heart of the lineup in the sixth inning. Fluharty required just 4 throws to retire Muncy and Edman, protecting a fragile advantage that quickly became safe.

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

Final Innings

The Los Angeles scraped a score in the ninth when Tommy Edman hit into an out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's double put runners on base. But Louis Varland closed it down without permitting a comeback to develop.

After a game when the Blue Jays left a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after wave upon wave of missed opportunities, the fourth contest was ruthlessly effective. 6 separate Blue Jays collected hits, five drove in scores and the team converted nearly every scoring chance presented in the final innings.

Looking Ahead

The win guarantees the championship trophy will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a title since Carter's iconic game-winning homer in '93. They now know they are guaranteed a full crowd in Canada on Friday night – and possibly Saturday – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 looms with the series reset and momentum shifting north. Los Angeles left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Toronto's momentum. The Blue Jays respond with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Blue Jays knocked out the starter early in an decisive win.