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Only 24 hours following staggering through one of the most draining losses in Fall Classic history, the Toronto Blue Jays played with complete command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run homer and Bieber delivered a composed outing as the Blue Jays defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, tying the Fall Classic at two games each and guaranteeing the matchup will return to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had spent the early hours of Tuesday dealing with their 18-inning Game 3 loss – equal to the longest World Series contest ever – a loss that denied them the opportunity to take the lead in the matchup and burned through both bullpens. Manager Schneider insisted afterwards that “they won a contest, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad provided convincing proof.

Initial Action

The Los Angeles again scored first. Muncy walked in the second, moved up on a base hit and scored on Hernández's fly out. But the early breakthrough did not rattle a Blue Jays team that topped Major League Baseball with 49 comeback victories this year.

They responded right away in the third. Lukes lined a one-out base hit to center field and Guerrero came to the plate looking for a curveball. Shohei Ohtani threw a slider up and Guerrero sent it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his first long hit of the World Series and his seventh home run this postseason – a new club record – regaining the Toronto's lead after 13 shutout frames and shifting the momentum of the game.

Ohtani's Performance

That hit also halted Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 straight plate appearances getting on base. The two-way phenomenon had smashed two homers and got on base a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' third game comeback win. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on short rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the previous extra-inning game.

Ohtani pitch speed sat under his seasonal average and he struggled more as the game wore on. Nonetheless, he displayed flashes 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 Toronto forced him to labor: six hits and four runs were charged to him in six-plus innings.

Seventh Inning Rally

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

Varsho opened the seventh with a sharp hit to right field, and Clement drilled a double off the fence to put two on with no outs. Dave Roberts had little choice but to remove Ohtani, who exited to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Dodgers' bullpen could not complete the inning.

Banda inherited the jam and immediately trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez fought to a full count before driving in Varsho with a single to left field. Ty 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 was unable to stem the momentum: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger punched run-scoring base hits through the infield, completing a four-run outburst that extended the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Blue Jays's ability to withstand initial blows and respond has characterized their entire postseason. They once again succeeded without Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order hitter who left the third game after straining his right side.

Bieber, meanwhile, was everything the Blue Jays required. Acquired during the summer while finishing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the ex- award-winning winner stranded multiple baserunners and quieted the Los Angeles' potent lineup. He allowed one run on four hits and three free passes before Schneider summoned first-year left-hander Mason Fluharty to confront the heart of the order in the sixth. Fluharty required just four pitches to retire Muncy and Edman, protecting a fragile lead that quickly grew comfortable.

Converted starter Chris Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' bats continued to struggle. Los Angeles have produced only 3 scores over their previous 20 frames, an sudden slowdown for a club that ranked among baseball's elite offenses all season.

Closing Moments

The Los Angeles scraped a score in the ninth when Edman grounded out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's two-base hit put runners aboard. But Varland finished the game without allowing a rally to develop.

After a game when Toronto stranded a World Series-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after repeated of wasted chances, the fourth contest was brutally effective. Six separate Blue Jays recorded hits, 5 brought home runs and the squad cashed almost every run-scoring chance available in the late innings.

Looking Ahead

The victory guarantees the World Series trophy will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not won a championship since Carter's iconic game-winning home run in 1993. They now know they are guaranteed a full crowd in Canada on Friday night – and perhaps the next day – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 looms with the matchup reset and momentum swinging north. Dodgers pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Toronto's momentum. Toronto respond with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Toronto knocked out the starter quickly in an 11-4 victory.