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Only 24 hours following staggering through one of the most draining defeats in World Series annals, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed complete control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run homer and Bieber provided a steady start as the Blue Jays beat the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, squaring the Fall Classic at two games each and guaranteeing the series will head back to Canada.

Toronto had spent the early hours of Tuesday processing their 18-inning third game defeat – equal to the longest Fall Classic contest ever – a defeat that denied them the chance to lead the matchup and burned through both bullpens. Manager John Schneider insisted later that “they won a contest, not the championship”. A day later, his team provided convincing evidence.

Initial Innings

The Dodgers again scored first. Muncy walked in the second inning, moved up on a single and scored on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the initial score did not rattle a Toronto club that led MLB with 49 come-from-behind wins this year.

They answered right away in the third. Nathan Lukes hit a one away base hit to center field and Guerrero stepped in looking for a curveball. Ohtani left a sweeper up and Guerrero sent it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his first extra-base hit of the series and his 7th home run this playoffs – a new club record – restoring the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 scoreless frames and shifting the tone of the game.

Ohtani's Night

That hit also ended Shohei Ohtani's history-making run of 11 straight at-bats reaching base. The dual-threat phenomenon had smashed two home runs and reached safely a record nine times in the Dodgers' third game comeback win. But on that night, he took the mound on short rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the previous marathon.

Ohtani pitch speed sat under his regular-season norm and he labored more as the game wore on. Nonetheless, he showed glimpses of his usual control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and fanning six. He even walked in the first to continue his World Series streak. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six base hits and four runs were charged to him in six-plus frames.

Late Game Surge

The bigger issue for the Dodgers was what came next when he eventually lost energy.

Varsho started the seventh with a sharp single to right, and Clement smashed a double off the fence to put runners on with no outs. Dave Roberts had no option but to pull Ohtani, who departed to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Dodgers' bullpen could not complete the escape.

Anthony Banda inherited the mess and right away fell behind. Andrés Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before driving in the runner with a base hit to left field. France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock the pitcher out of the contest. Treinen entered next but also was unable to stop the rally: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger hit RBI singles through the diamond, capping a four-run barrage that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Blue Jays's ability to withstand early setbacks and answer has defined 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.

Bieber, meanwhile, was everything Toronto required. Traded for mid-season while completing recovery from elbow surgery, the former award-winning winner left multiple baserunners and quieted the Los Angeles' potent lineup. He allowed one earned run on four hits and three walks before Schneider summoned rookie pitcher Fluharty to face the heart of the lineup in the sixth. Fluharty required just four pitches to get out Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a fragile lead that soon grew safe.

Former starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' bats kept to sputter. Los Angeles have scored only 3 scores over their previous 20 innings, an sudden slowdown for a team that ranked among MLB's elite lineups all season.

Closing Innings

The Los Angeles managed a run in the ninth inning when Edman hit into an out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's double put two aboard. But Varland closed it down without allowing a rally to develop.

After a night when Toronto left a World Series-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after wave upon wave of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was ruthlessly effective. 6 different Blue Jays collected base hits, five drove in scores and the team cashed almost every run-scoring opportunity presented in the late stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The victory guarantees the World Series trophy will be presented at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not won a championship since Carter's famous game-winning homer in 1993. They now know they are guaranteed a full house in Toronto on Friday evening – and perhaps the next day – no matter what occurs next in LA.

Game 5 approaches with the series reset and momentum swinging north. Los Angeles pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Blue Jays's surge. Toronto counter with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Toronto chased the starter early in an 11-4 victory.