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Less than a day following staggering through one of the most draining losses in World Series history, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed total command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run homer and Bieber provided a steady outing as the Blue Jays beat the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, squaring the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the series will return to Toronto.

Toronto had passed the morning of Tuesday dealing with their marathon third game defeat – tied for the longest World Series game ever – a loss that cost them the chance to lead the matchup and burned through both relief corps. Manager John Schneider stated afterwards that “the Dodgers took a contest, not the championship”. A day later, his squad provided emphatic proof.

Initial Innings

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

They responded immediately in the third inning. Lukes lined a one-out base hit to center field and Guerrero stepped in looking for a breaking ball. Ohtani left a sweeper up and Guerrero sent it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his first extra-base hit of the World Series and his seventh home run this playoffs – a new team mark – restoring the Toronto's lead after 13 scoreless innings and shifting the momentum of the game.

Ohtani's Night

That hit also ended Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 consecutive plate appearances reaching base. The dual-threat star had smashed two home runs and got on base a record nine times in the Dodgers' third game walk-off. But on Tuesday, he started on limited rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the prior marathon.

His fastball velocity sat below his regular-season norm and he struggled more as the contest progressed. Nonetheless, he displayed 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 extend his Fall Classic streak. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six base hits and four runs were credited to him in over six innings.

Late Game Rally

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

Daulton Varsho started the seventh inning with a clean hit to right, and Ernie Clement drilled a double off the wall to put two on with no outs. Dave Roberts had no option but to pull the starter, who exited to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not complete the inning.

Anthony Banda inherited the jam and right away trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before driving in Varsho with a base hit to left. France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove Banda out of the game. Blake Treinen entered next but also was unable to stop the momentum: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger hit RBI singles through the infield, completing a four-run outburst that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Blue Jays's ability to absorb initial blows and answer has characterized their whole run. They once again succeeded without Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order hitter who left Game 3 after tweaking his right side.

Bieber, meanwhile, was everything Toronto required. Acquired mid-season while completing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the ex- award-winning winner stranded several baserunners and silenced the Dodgers' potent batting order. He allowed one run on four base hits and three walks before the manager called on first-year pitcher Fluharty to face the core of the order in the sixth. He required just 4 pitches to get out Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a narrow advantage that soon grew comfortable.

Former starter Chris Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' offense kept to sputter. Los Angeles have produced only 3 runs over their previous 20 innings, an abrupt slowdown for a club that was among MLB's top offenses all year.

Closing Moments

The Dodgers scraped a score in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman grounded out to score Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's double put two aboard. But Varland closed it down without permitting a comeback to build.

Following a night when Toronto left a World Series-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after wave upon wave of wasted chances, Game 4 was ruthlessly efficient. Six separate Toronto players recorded base hits, 5 drove in scores and the squad cashed almost every run-scoring opportunity available in the late innings.

Next Up

The victory guarantees the World Series trophy will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not won a title since Joe Carter's iconic game-winning home run in '93. They now are aware they are assured a full crowd in Canada on Friday night – and possibly the next day – no matter what happens next in LA.

The fifth game approaches with the matchup reset and energy swinging to Toronto. Los Angeles left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Toronto's momentum. The Blue Jays respond with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Blue Jays chased Snell early in an decisive victory.