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Less than a day after enduring one of the most exhausting defeats in Fall Classic history, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed complete control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run home run and Bieber delivered a steady start as Toronto beat the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, tying the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and ensuring the matchup will return to Canada.

Toronto had spent the morning of Tuesday processing their 18-inning third game defeat – tied for the lengthiest Fall Classic game ever – a defeat that cost them the opportunity to take the lead in the series and depleted both bullpens. Manager Schneider insisted later that “the Dodgers won a contest, not the championship”. A day later, his squad provided emphatic evidence.

Initial Innings

The Dodgers again struck first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, moved up on a base hit and scored on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial breakthrough did not rattle a Blue Jays club that topped MLB with 49 come-from-behind victories this season.

They responded immediately in the third. Nathan Lukes lined a one-out single to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in looking for a curveball. Ohtani left a slider up and he drove it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his initial extra-base hit of the series and his seventh homer this postseason – a new club mark – restoring the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 shutout innings and changing the tone of the night.

Ohtani's Performance

That swing also ended Shohei Ohtani's history-making run of 11 straight at-bats getting on base. The two-way phenomenon had hit two homers and reached safely a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' third game comeback win. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on short rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the previous marathon.

His pitch speed sat under his regular-season average and he struggled more as the contest progressed. Even so, he showed glimpses of his typical command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to continue his Fall Classic streak. But the Toronto made him work: six hits and four runs were charged to him in over six innings.

Late Game Rally

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

Varsho started the seventh with a sharp single to right, and Clement drilled a double off the wall to put runners on with no outs. Roberts had no option but to remove Ohtani, who departed to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Dodgers' relief corps could not finish the inning.

Anthony Banda inherited the mess and immediately fell behind. Andrés Giménez battled to a 3-2 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 Banda out of the game. Blake Treinen entered next but also was unable to stop the rally: Bo Bichette and Barger hit run-scoring singles through the diamond, capping a four-score barrage that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Toronto's capacity to absorb early blows and respond has characterized their entire postseason. They once again did it without George Springer, the injured leadoff man who left Game 3 after straining his right side.

Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what the Blue Jays required. Acquired during the summer while finishing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the former Cy Young winner stranded multiple runners and silenced the Dodgers' dangerous batting order. He allowed one run on four hits and three free passes before the manager called on first-year pitcher Mason Fluharty to face the heart of the lineup in the sixth. He required just 4 pitches to get out Muncy and Edman, protecting a fragile lead that soon grew safe.

Former starter Chris Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' bats kept to sputter. The Dodgers have produced only three runs over their previous 20 frames, an sudden slowdown for a team that was among MLB's top lineups all year.

Final Moments

The Dodgers managed a score in the ninth inning when Edman hit into an out to score Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's two-base hit put runners aboard. But Louis Varland finished the game without allowing a rally to develop.

After a game when the Blue Jays stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and fell apart after wave upon wave of wasted chances, Game 4 was ruthlessly effective. 6 different Toronto players recorded base hits, 5 brought home scores and the team cashed almost every run-scoring chance available in the final stanzas.

Next Up

The victory ensures the World Series title will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not won a title since Joe Carter's famous walk-off home run in '93. They now are aware they are assured a packed crowd in Canada on Friday night – and possibly the next day – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 approaches with the matchup reset and momentum swinging to Toronto. Dodgers pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Toronto's surge. Toronto respond with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Toronto chased Snell quickly in an decisive win.