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Only 24 hours after staggering through one of the most exhausting losses in World Series history, the Toronto Blue Jays played with complete control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber provided a composed outing as the Blue Jays defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, squaring the Fall Classic at two games each and ensuring the series will return to Toronto.

Toronto had passed the early hours of the next day dealing with their marathon third game defeat – tied for the longest World Series contest ever – a loss that cost them the opportunity to lead the series and depleted both bullpens. Skipper John Schneider stated later that “they took a game, not the championship”. A day later, his squad provided convincing evidence.

Early Innings

The Los Angeles again struck first. Muncy walked in the second, moved up on a single and scored on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the initial breakthrough did not shake a Blue Jays team that led MLB with 49 come-from-behind victories this season.

They responded immediately in the third inning. Lukes hit a one away base hit to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate looking for a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani threw a sweeper up and he drove it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his initial extra-base hit of the series and his 7th homer this playoffs – a fresh club mark – regaining the Blue Jays's lead after 13 scoreless innings and changing the momentum of the game.

Ohtani's Night

That swing also ended Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 straight plate appearances getting on base. The dual-threat phenomenon had smashed two home runs and got on base a record nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 comeback win. But on that night, he took the mound on short rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the previous extra-inning game.

Ohtani pitch speed was under his regular-season norm and he labored more as the contest wore on. Nonetheless, he showed glimpses of his typical control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and fanning six. He even walked in the first inning to extend his Fall Classic record. But the Blue Jays made him work: six base hits and four earned runs were credited to him in over six frames.

Late Game Surge

The larger issue for the Dodgers was what followed when Ohtani finally ran out of energy.

Varsho opened the seventh with a sharp hit to right, and Ernie Clement smashed a two-base hit off the fence to put two on with no outs. Dave Roberts had little choice but to pull Ohtani, who exited to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not finish the escape.

Banda inherited the mess and right away fell behind. Andrés Giménez fought 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 enough to remove Banda out of the contest. Blake Treinen came in next but also was unable to stem the momentum: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger hit run-scoring base hits through the diamond, completing a four-score barrage that extended the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Blue Jays's ability to withstand initial blows and respond has characterized their whole run. They once again did it without Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order man who left the third game after tweaking his oblique.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was everything Toronto needed. Acquired during the summer while completing rehab from elbow surgery, the ex- award-winning winner stranded several runners and silenced the Dodgers' potent lineup. He gave up one earned run on four hits and three free passes before Schneider summoned rookie left-hander Mason Fluharty to confront the heart of the lineup in the sixth. Fluharty needed just four throws to retire Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a fragile advantage that soon grew safe.

Former starting pitcher Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' bats continued to sputter. The Dodgers have produced only three scores over their last 20 innings, an sudden slowdown for a club that ranked among MLB's top offenses all season.

Final Moments

The Los Angeles scraped a score in the ninth inning when Edman grounded out to bring home Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's double put runners aboard. But Louis Varland finished the game without allowing a comeback to develop.

Following a game when the Blue Jays stranded a World Series-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after wave upon wave of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was ruthlessly effective. Six separate Toronto players collected base hits, five drove in scores and the squad converted nearly every scoring chance presented in the late stanzas.

Next Up

The win guarantees the World Series title will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not celebrated a championship since Joe Carter's famous walk-off home run in 1993. They now know they are assured a packed crowd in Canada on Friday evening – and possibly Saturday – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game looms with the matchup even and momentum shifting to Toronto. Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Blue Jays's momentum. Toronto respond with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Toronto chased the starter early in an 11-4 victory.