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Only 24 hours after enduring one of the most exhausting defeats in Fall Classic annals, the Toronto Blue Jays played with complete command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber provided a steady start as the Blue Jays beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, tying the World Series at two wins apiece and ensuring the series will head back to Canada.

Toronto had passed the early hours of Tuesday processing their marathon Game 3 loss – equal to the longest World Series game ever – a defeat that cost them the opportunity to take the lead in the matchup and depleted both relief corps. Skipper Schneider stated afterwards that “the Dodgers won a game, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad provided convincing evidence.

Initial Action

The Los Angeles again struck first. Muncy walked in the second, advanced on a single and scored on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early breakthrough did not rattle a Toronto team that led Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind wins this season.

They responded right away in the third inning. Nathan Lukes hit a one-out single to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in looking for a curveball. Shohei Ohtani threw a sweeper up and Guerrero sent it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his first long hit of the series and his seventh homer this playoffs – a new club mark – restoring the Toronto's lead after 13 shutout innings and changing the tone of the night.

Shohei's Night

That swing also ended Shohei Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 consecutive plate appearances getting on base. The two-way star had smashed two homers and reached safely a record nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 walk-off. But on that night, he took the mound on limited rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the prior marathon.

Ohtani pitch speed sat below his seasonal norm and he labored more as the contest wore on. Even so, he showed glimpses of his usual control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to extend his Fall Classic streak. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six base hits and four earned runs were charged to him in six-plus innings.

Seventh Inning Surge

The bigger issue for the Dodgers was what followed when Ohtani eventually lost energy.

Daulton Varsho started the seventh with a clean single to right, and Ernie Clement drilled a double off the wall to put runners on with none out. Roberts had little choice but to pull Ohtani, who departed to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Dodgers' bullpen could not finish the escape.

Banda came into the mess and right away fell behind. Andrés Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before driving in Varsho with a single to left. Ty France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove the pitcher out of the game. Treinen entered next but also was unable to stem the momentum: Bichette and Barger punched run-scoring base hits through the diamond, capping a four-run barrage that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Toronto's ability to absorb early setbacks and respond has characterized their whole run. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the injured top-of-the-order man who left the third game after straining his right side.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what the Blue Jays needed. Acquired during the summer while finishing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the ex- award-winning winner left several baserunners and silenced the Los Angeles' potent batting order. He allowed one earned run on four hits and three walks before the manager called on rookie left-hander Mason Fluharty to face the core of the order in the sixth inning. Fluharty required just four pitches to get out Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a fragile lead that soon became safe.

Converted starting pitcher Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' bats kept to struggle. The Dodgers have produced only 3 scores over their previous 20 innings, an sudden downturn for a team that ranked among baseball's elite offenses all year.

Closing Innings

The Dodgers managed a score in the ninth when Tommy Edman grounded out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's two-base hit put two on base. But Louis Varland closed it down without allowing a rally to develop.

Following a game when Toronto stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after wave upon wave of wasted opportunities, Game 4 was ruthlessly effective. Six separate Blue Jays collected hits, 5 drove in scores and the team converted almost every run-scoring chance available in the final stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The win guarantees the championship title will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not won a title since Joe Carter's iconic walk-off home run in 1993. They now are aware they are guaranteed a packed house in Canada on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what occurs next in LA.

Game 5 approaches with the matchup even and energy shifting north. Los Angeles pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Toronto's surge. Toronto counter with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Toronto knocked out Snell early in an decisive victory.