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Less than a day after staggering through one of the most exhausting defeats in Fall Classic history, the Blue Jays played with total command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber delivered a steady start as Toronto defeated the Los Angeles 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 series will head back to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had spent the early hours of Tuesday processing their 18-inning Game 3 loss – equal to the longest World Series game ever – a defeat that denied them the opportunity to take the lead in the series and depleted both bullpens. Skipper Schneider stated later that “they took a game, not the championship”. A day later, his team offered convincing evidence.

Early Innings

The Dodgers again struck first. Muncy drew a walk in the second, advanced on a base hit and scored on Hernández's fly out. But the initial breakthrough did not rattle a Blue Jays club that led MLB with 49 come-from-behind victories this season.

They answered right away in the third. Nathan Lukes hit a one away base hit to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in hunting a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani left a sweeper up and he drove it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his first extra-base hit of the series and his seventh homer this playoffs – a new team record – regaining the Toronto's lead after 13 scoreless frames and shifting the momentum of the night.

Shohei's Night

That swing also ended Shohei Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 straight at-bats reaching base. The two-way star had hit two homers and got on base a historic nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 comeback win. But on that night, he started on short rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the previous extra-inning game.

Ohtani fastball velocity sat below his seasonal norm and he labored more as the game progressed. Even so, he displayed flashes of his typical command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first to extend his Fall Classic record. But the Blue Jays made him work: six hits and four runs were charged to him in over six innings.

Late Game Surge

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

Varsho started the seventh with a sharp single to right field, and Ernie Clement drilled a two-base hit off the wall to put runners on with no outs. Roberts had no option but to pull the starter, who exited to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Dodgers' bullpen could not finish the inning.

Banda came into the jam and right away fell behind. Andrés Giménez fought to a full count before driving in Varsho with a base hit to left. Ty France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove the pitcher out of the contest. Treinen entered next but also was unable to stop the rally: Bichette and Addison Barger hit RBI base hits through the infield, completing a four-run barrage that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Toronto's ability to withstand early blows and respond has defined their entire postseason. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order hitter who exited the third game after tweaking his oblique.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what the Blue Jays required. Acquired during the summer while finishing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the former Cy Young winner stranded several baserunners and quieted the Dodgers' potent batting order. He allowed one run on four base hits and three walks before the manager called on first-year left-hander Mason Fluharty to face the heart of the lineup in the sixth. He required just 4 throws to retire Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a narrow advantage that quickly grew safe.

Converted starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' offense continued to struggle. The Dodgers have produced only three scores over their previous 20 frames, an abrupt slowdown for a team that ranked among MLB's top offenses all year.

Final Innings

The Los Angeles scraped a score in the ninth when Edman hit into an out to bring home Hernández after a walk and Muncy's two-base hit put two on base. But Louis Varland closed it down without permitting a rally to build.

Following a game when the Blue Jays stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after wave upon wave of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was brutally efficient. Six separate Blue Jays collected hits, 5 drove in runs and the squad converted almost every scoring opportunity available in the final stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The victory ensures the championship trophy will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not won a championship since Carter's iconic walk-off homer in '93. They now know they are guaranteed a full crowd in Toronto on Friday night – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what happens next in LA.

Game 5 approaches with the matchup even and energy shifting north. Los Angeles left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Blue Jays's momentum. 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 early in an decisive win.