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Only 24 hours after staggering through one of the most exhausting defeats in Fall Classic annals, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed total command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber delivered a steady outing as Toronto defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, tying the Fall Classic at two games each and ensuring the series will return to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had passed the early hours of Tuesday processing their 18-inning third game defeat – tied for the lengthiest Fall Classic contest ever – a loss that cost them the opportunity to lead the matchup and depleted both relief corps. Manager John Schneider insisted later that “they took a game, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his team provided emphatic proof.

Early Innings

The Los Angeles again scored first. Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, advanced on a base hit and scored on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial score did not rattle a Blue Jays club that topped Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind wins this year.

They answered immediately in the third inning. Nathan Lukes lined a one away single to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate hunting a curveball. Shohei Ohtani threw a sweeper up and Guerrero drove it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his first extra-base hit of the World Series and his seventh homer this postseason – a new club mark – regaining the Blue Jays's lead after 13 shutout innings and changing the tone of the game.

Shohei's Night

That hit also halted Shohei Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 straight plate appearances reaching base. The dual-threat star had smashed two homers and got on base a record nine times in the Los Angeles' third game walk-off. But on that night, he took the mound on limited rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the prior extra-inning game.

Ohtani pitch speed sat under his regular-season norm and he struggled more as the game progressed. Nonetheless, he displayed glimpses of his typical command, 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 streak. But the Blue Jays made him work: six hits and four runs were charged to him in six-plus frames.

Seventh Inning Surge

The bigger problem for Los Angeles was what followed when Ohtani finally ran out of steam.

Varsho opened the seventh with a sharp single to right field, and Clement smashed a double off the wall to put two on with no outs. Roberts had little choice but to remove the starter, who departed to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not finish the inning.

Banda inherited the mess and immediately trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before scoring the runner with a single to left. Ty France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove the pitcher out of the contest. Blake Treinen entered next but also failed to stem the rally: Bichette and Addison Barger hit run-scoring singles through the infield, capping a four-score barrage that extended the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Toronto's ability to absorb initial setbacks and respond has defined their entire postseason. They once again did it without Springer, the injured leadoff hitter who exited Game 3 after tweaking his right side.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what the Blue Jays needed. Traded for mid-season while finishing recovery from elbow surgery, the former Cy Young winner left multiple runners and silenced the Dodgers' potent lineup. He allowed one run on four hits and three walks before Schneider summoned rookie pitcher Mason Fluharty to confront the core of the order in the sixth. Fluharty needed just four throws to retire Max Muncy and Edman, protecting a fragile advantage that soon became comfortable.

Former starter Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' bats kept to struggle. Los Angeles have scored only 3 scores over their last 20 innings, an abrupt downturn for a team that was among MLB's elite offenses all year.

Closing Innings

The Dodgers managed a score in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman hit into an out to bring home Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's double put runners aboard. But Louis Varland closed it down without permitting a rally to build.

After a game when Toronto stranded a World Series-record 19 runners and fell apart after wave upon wave of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was ruthlessly effective. Six separate Blue Jays collected hits, five brought home runs and the team converted nearly every run-scoring chance available in the final innings.

Looking Ahead

The win guarantees the championship trophy will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not won a title since Carter's iconic game-winning homer in 1993. They now know they are guaranteed a full crowd in Canada on Friday night – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game looms with the series even and energy swinging north. Dodgers left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Blue Jays's momentum. Toronto respond with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Toronto chased Snell early in an decisive victory.