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Less than a day after enduring one of the most exhausting defeats in World Series history, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed total command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run homer and Bieber delivered a steady outing as the Blue Jays defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, squaring the World Series at two games each and ensuring the series will head back to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had spent the morning of the next day processing their 18-inning Game 3 loss – equal to the longest Fall Classic game ever – a defeat that cost them the opportunity to lead the matchup and depleted both relief corps. Skipper Schneider stated later that “the Dodgers won a game, not the championship”. A day later, his team offered emphatic evidence.

Early Action

The Dodgers again scored first. Muncy walked in the second, moved up on a base hit and scored on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early score did not rattle a Blue Jays club that led MLB with 49 come-from-behind victories this season.

They responded immediately in the third inning. Lukes hit a one away single to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate looking for a curveball. Ohtani threw a sweeper up and he drove it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his first long hit of the World Series and his 7th home run this postseason – a new club record – regaining the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 shutout innings and shifting the tone of the night.

Shohei's Night

That hit also ended Shohei Ohtani's history-making run of 11 consecutive at-bats reaching base. The two-way star had hit two home runs and got on base a historic nine times in the Dodgers' third game walk-off. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on short rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the previous extra-inning game.

Ohtani fastball velocity was below his regular-season norm and he labored more as the game wore on. Even so, he displayed glimpses of his typical control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first to extend his World Series streak. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six hits and four runs were charged to him in over six frames.

Seventh Inning Rally

The bigger issue for Los Angeles was what came next when Ohtani finally ran out of energy.

Varsho started the seventh with a sharp hit to right field, and Ernie Clement drilled a two-base hit off the fence to put runners on with none out. Dave Roberts had little choice but to remove the starter, who exited to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Dodgers' relief corps could not complete the escape.

Anthony Banda came into the mess and immediately trailed in the count. Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before scoring Varsho with a single to left. Ty France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove Banda out of the contest. Treinen entered next but also was unable to stem the momentum: Bichette and Barger punched run-scoring base hits through the infield, capping a four-score barrage that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Blue Jays's ability to absorb early setbacks and answer has characterized their entire run. They once again did it without George Springer, the injured leadoff man who exited Game 3 after straining his oblique.

Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what the Blue Jays needed. Traded for mid-season while finishing recovery from elbow surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner left multiple runners and quieted the Dodgers' potent lineup. He allowed one run on four hits and three walks before the manager called on first-year pitcher Mason Fluharty to confront the core of the order in the sixth. Fluharty required just four pitches to get out Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a narrow lead that quickly became comfortable.

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

Final Moments

The Dodgers managed a run in the ninth when Tommy Edman grounded out to score Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's double put runners on base. But Louis Varland finished the game without allowing a comeback to develop.

After a game when the Blue Jays stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after repeated of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was brutally efficient. Six different Toronto players collected hits, five brought home scores and the squad converted almost every scoring opportunity available in the final stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The victory ensures the World Series title will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a title since Joe Carter's famous game-winning home run in '93. They now know they are guaranteed a full house in Toronto on Friday night – and perhaps the next day – no matter what happens next in LA.

The fifth game looms with the matchup reset and momentum shifting to Toronto. Los Angeles left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Blue Jays's surge. The Blue Jays respond with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Blue Jays chased the starter quickly in an 11-4 win.