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Only 24 hours after enduring one of the most draining losses in Fall Classic history, the Toronto Blue Jays played with complete control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber provided a composed outing as the Blue Jays beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, squaring the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and ensuring the series will head back to Canada.

Toronto had passed the morning of Tuesday processing their 18-inning Game 3 loss – tied for the lengthiest Fall Classic game ever – a loss that denied them the chance to lead the matchup and depleted both relief corps. Manager John Schneider insisted afterwards that “the Dodgers took a contest, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad offered convincing evidence.

Initial Innings

The Los Angeles again scored first. Muncy walked in the second, moved up on a single and scored on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early score did not shake a Toronto club that topped MLB with 49 come-from-behind victories this year.

They responded right away in the third inning. Nathan Lukes lined a one-out base hit to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate hunting a curveball. Shohei Ohtani threw a sweeper up and he sent it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his first long hit of the World Series and his seventh home run this playoffs – a new club mark – regaining the Toronto's advantage after 13 scoreless innings and changing the tone of the night.

Shohei's Night

That hit also ended Shohei Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 consecutive plate appearances reaching base. The two-way phenomenon had smashed two homers and got on base a historic nine times in the Dodgers' third game walk-off. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on limited rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the previous marathon.

Ohtani fastball velocity was under his regular-season norm and he labored more as the game progressed. Nonetheless, he showed flashes of his typical control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and striking out six. He even walked in the first inning to continue his World Series record. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six base hits and four earned runs were credited to him in six-plus innings.

Late Game Surge

The bigger problem for Los Angeles was what came next when Ohtani eventually lost steam.

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. Dave Roberts had little choice but to remove the starter, who exited to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not complete the escape.

Anthony Banda inherited the jam and immediately trailed in the count. Giménez battled to a full count before scoring Varsho with a base hit to left. 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 failed to stop the momentum: Bo Bichette and Barger punched run-scoring base hits through the diamond, completing a four-score barrage that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Blue Jays's capacity to withstand early setbacks and answer has defined their whole postseason. They once again did it without George Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order man who exited Game 3 after tweaking his right side.

Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what the Blue Jays needed. Traded for mid-season while finishing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the ex- award-winning winner stranded multiple baserunners and silenced the Los Angeles' potent lineup. He allowed one earned run on four hits and three walks before Schneider called on first-year left-hander Mason Fluharty to confront the core of the lineup in the sixth. He required just four pitches to retire Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a narrow advantage that soon became comfortable.

Former starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' bats kept to sputter. Los Angeles have produced only three scores over their previous 20 innings, an abrupt downturn for a team that was among MLB's elite offenses all year.

Final Moments

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

After a game when the Blue Jays left a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after wave upon wave of missed chances, Game 4 was ruthlessly effective. Six different Toronto players collected hits, five brought home runs and the squad converted almost every run-scoring opportunity available in the final innings.

Looking Ahead

The win guarantees the championship trophy will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not won a championship since Carter's iconic game-winning home run in 1993. They now are aware they are assured a full house in Canada on Friday night – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game approaches with the matchup reset and momentum shifting to Toronto. Dodgers left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Blue Jays's momentum. The Blue Jays respond with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Blue Jays knocked out the starter early in an decisive win.