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Only 24 hours after staggering through one of the most draining defeats in Fall Classic annals, the Blue Jays displayed complete control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run home run and Bieber delivered a steady outing as the Blue Jays defeated 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 guaranteeing the matchup will return to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had spent the early hours of the next day processing their marathon Game 3 loss – equal to the lengthiest Fall Classic contest ever – a defeat that denied them the chance to take the lead in the matchup and depleted both bullpens. Skipper John Schneider insisted afterwards that “they won a contest, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad offered emphatic evidence.

Early Innings

The Los Angeles again scored first. Max Muncy walked in the second inning, advanced on a single and scored on Hernández's fly out. But the initial breakthrough did not rattle a Blue Jays team that topped Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind wins this year.

They answered right away in the third inning. Lukes lined a one-out single to center field and Guerrero 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 extra-base hit of the series and his seventh homer this postseason – a fresh club mark – restoring the Toronto's lead after 13 scoreless innings and shifting the tone of the night.

Shohei's Performance

That swing also halted Ohtani's history-making run of 11 straight at-bats getting on base. The dual-threat star had hit two homers and got on base a record nine times in the Dodgers' third game comeback win. But on that night, he took the mound on limited rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the prior marathon.

Ohtani pitch speed was below his regular-season norm and he struggled more as the contest progressed. Nonetheless, he showed flashes of his usual command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to continue his Fall Classic streak. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six hits and four earned runs were credited to him in six-plus frames.

Seventh Inning Surge

The bigger problem for the Dodgers was what followed when Ohtani eventually ran out of steam.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh with a clean single to right, and Clement smashed a double off the wall to put two on with none out. Dave Roberts had no option but to remove the starter, who exited to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Dodgers' bullpen could not finish the escape.

Anthony Banda came into the jam and immediately fell behind. Giménez battled to a full count before scoring the runner 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 game. Treinen entered next but also failed to stem the momentum: Bichette and Barger punched RBI base hits through the diamond, capping a four-score outburst that extended the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Blue Jays's capacity to withstand early setbacks and answer has defined their entire run. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the injured top-of-the-order man who left Game 3 after straining his oblique.

Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what Toronto required. Acquired mid-season while finishing rehab from elbow surgery, the ex- award-winning winner left several baserunners and silenced the Dodgers' potent batting order. He gave up one run on four hits and three free passes before the manager called on rookie left-hander Mason Fluharty to face the heart of the order in the sixth inning. Fluharty needed just four throws to get out Max Muncy and Edman, protecting a narrow advantage that quickly became safe.

Former starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' offense continued to struggle. Los Angeles have scored only 3 scores over their last 20 innings, an sudden slowdown for a club that ranked among MLB's top offenses all year.

Final Moments

The Los Angeles scraped a run in the ninth inning when Edman grounded out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's double put two on base. But Varland finished the game without allowing a rally to build.

After a night when the Blue Jays stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after repeated of missed opportunities, the fourth contest was brutally effective. Six different Blue Jays collected hits, 5 drove in scores and the squad converted almost every scoring chance presented in the final innings.

Looking Ahead

The victory ensures the championship title will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not won a championship since Carter's famous game-winning homer in '93. They now are aware they are assured a packed crowd in Canada on Friday night – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game looms with the matchup even and momentum swinging north. Los Angeles pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Blue Jays's momentum. The Blue Jays counter with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Toronto chased the starter quickly in an decisive victory.