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Less than a day following enduring one of the most draining defeats in World Series history, the Toronto Blue Jays played with total command.

Guerrero crushed a two-run homer and Bieber provided a composed outing as the Blue Jays beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, squaring the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the series will return to Canada.

The Blue Jays had passed the early hours of the next day processing their 18-inning third game defeat – tied for the longest Fall Classic contest ever – a defeat that cost them the chance to lead the series and depleted both bullpens. Manager John Schneider insisted later that “they won a game, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad provided emphatic proof.

Early Innings

The Los Angeles again scored first. Muncy walked in the second, moved up on a base hit and crossed the plate on Hernández's fly out. But the initial score did not rattle a Blue Jays club that led Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind wins this season.

They answered immediately in the third. Lukes lined a one away single to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in hunting a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani threw a sweeper up and Guerrero drove it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his initial extra-base hit of the World Series and his 7th home run this postseason – a fresh team record – restoring the Blue Jays's lead after 13 scoreless frames and changing the momentum of the game.

Shohei's Performance

That hit also ended Shohei Ohtani's history-making run of 11 straight plate appearances getting on base. The dual-threat phenomenon had hit two home runs and got on base a record nine times in the Los Angeles' third game walk-off. But on Tuesday, he started on short rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the previous extra-inning game.

His pitch speed was below his regular-season norm and he struggled more as the contest progressed. Nonetheless, he displayed glimpses of his usual control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first to extend his Fall Classic record. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six base hits and four runs were credited to him in over six innings.

Seventh Inning Rally

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

Varsho opened the seventh inning with a sharp single to right, and Ernie Clement smashed a two-base hit off the wall to put two on with none out. Dave Roberts had little choice but to remove the starter, who exited to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Dodgers' relief corps could not finish the inning.

Anthony Banda inherited the jam and right away fell behind. Andrés Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before scoring the runner with a single to left field. France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock Banda out of the contest. Blake Treinen entered next but also was unable to stop the rally: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger punched RBI singles through the infield, completing a four-run outburst that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Blue Jays's ability to absorb early setbacks and respond has characterized their whole postseason. They once again did it without Springer, the injured leadoff hitter who exited the third game after tweaking his right side.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what Toronto needed. Traded for during the summer while finishing rehab from elbow surgery, the ex- award-winning winner stranded several runners and silenced the Dodgers' potent lineup. He allowed one run on four hits and three free passes before the manager called on first-year pitcher Mason Fluharty to face the core of the order in the sixth inning. He needed just 4 pitches to retire Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a fragile advantage that soon became safe.

Converted starter Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' offense kept to struggle. The Dodgers have produced only 3 scores over their last 20 innings, an abrupt downturn for a team that was among baseball's top offenses all year.

Closing Moments

The Los Angeles scraped a run in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman hit into an out to score Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's two-base hit put runners on base. But Louis Varland closed it down without allowing a rally to build.

Following a game when Toronto left a World Series-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after repeated of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was ruthlessly effective. Six separate Toronto players recorded base hits, 5 brought home runs and the team converted nearly every scoring opportunity available in the late innings.

Next Up

The victory ensures the World Series trophy will be presented at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not won a title since Carter's famous game-winning home run in '93. They now are aware they are guaranteed a full crowd in Canada on Friday night – and possibly the next day – no matter what happens next in LA.

The fifth game looms with the series even and momentum swinging north. Los Angeles left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt 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 Toronto knocked out Snell early in an decisive victory.