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Only 24 hours after staggering through one of the most exhausting defeats in Fall Classic annals, the Blue Jays displayed total command.

Guerrero smashed a two-run homer and Bieber provided a steady outing as Toronto defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, squaring the World Series at two wins apiece and ensuring the series will return to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had spent the early hours of Tuesday dealing with their 18-inning third game defeat – tied for the longest Fall Classic contest ever – a defeat that denied them the opportunity to lead the matchup and depleted both relief corps. Manager John Schneider stated later that “they took a contest, not the World Series”. A day later, his team offered convincing proof.

Early Innings

The Dodgers again scored first. Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, advanced on a single and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the initial breakthrough did not rattle a Toronto team that topped Major League Baseball with 49 comeback wins this season.

They answered right away in the third. Lukes lined a one-out base hit to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate looking for a curveball. Ohtani left a slider up and Guerrero sent it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his first extra-base hit of the World Series and his 7th homer this postseason – a fresh team record – restoring the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 scoreless frames and shifting the momentum of the game.

Shohei's Night

That swing also ended Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 consecutive at-bats reaching base. The dual-threat star had hit two home runs and got on base a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' third game comeback win. But on Tuesday, he started on short rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the previous marathon.

Ohtani fastball velocity sat under his seasonal norm and he labored more as the game progressed. Even so, he showed glimpses of his typical command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to continue his World Series record. But the Toronto made him work: six base hits and four earned runs were charged to him in six-plus innings.

Late Game Rally

The larger problem for the Dodgers was what followed when Ohtani eventually ran out of steam.

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

Banda came into the jam and right away trailed in the count. Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before driving in Varsho with a single to left. Ty France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock Banda out of the contest. Blake Treinen entered next but also failed to stop the momentum: Bichette and Addison Barger hit RBI singles through the diamond, completing a four-run outburst that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Toronto's capacity to absorb early setbacks and answer has characterized their whole postseason. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the injured leadoff hitter who exited the third game after straining his right side.

Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what Toronto needed. Acquired mid-season while finishing rehab from elbow surgery, the ex- award-winning winner stranded several runners and quieted the Los Angeles' potent lineup. He allowed one run on four base hits and three walks before the manager called on rookie pitcher Fluharty to confront the heart of the order in the sixth. Fluharty needed just 4 throws to retire Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a narrow advantage that soon grew comfortable.

Former starting pitcher Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' offense continued to struggle. Los Angeles have produced only three scores over their previous 20 frames, an abrupt slowdown for a team that was among baseball's top lineups all season.

Closing Innings

The Los Angeles scraped a run in the ninth inning when Edman hit into an out to score Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's double put two on base. But Louis Varland finished the game without permitting a comeback to develop.

Following a game when Toronto left a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after repeated of missed opportunities, the fourth contest was ruthlessly efficient. Six separate Toronto players recorded base hits, five brought home runs and the team converted nearly every run-scoring chance available in the late innings.

Looking Ahead

The win ensures the World Series trophy will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not won a championship since Joe Carter's famous walk-off home run in 1993. They now are aware they are assured a full house in Canada on Friday evening – and possibly the next day – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game approaches with the matchup even and energy shifting north. Los Angeles pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Blue Jays's surge. The Blue Jays respond with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Blue Jays knocked out Snell quickly in an decisive win.