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Less than a day after staggering through one of the most exhausting losses in World Series annals, the Blue Jays displayed complete control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run home run and Bieber delivered a composed outing as the Blue Jays beat the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, squaring the World Series at two wins apiece and ensuring the series will return to Canada.

The Blue Jays had passed the morning of Tuesday dealing with their 18-inning Game 3 loss – tied for the lengthiest World Series game ever – a defeat that denied them the opportunity to lead the series and depleted both bullpens. Manager John Schneider insisted later that “the Dodgers took a game, not the World Series”. A day later, his squad provided emphatic evidence.

Early Innings

The Dodgers again scored first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, moved up on a single and scored on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the initial score did not rattle a Toronto club that topped Major League Baseball with 49 comeback victories this year.

They answered right away in the third inning. Nathan Lukes lined a one-out single to center field and Guerrero stepped in looking for a curveball. Ohtani threw a slider up and Guerrero sent it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his initial extra-base hit of the World Series and his seventh home run this postseason – a fresh team mark – restoring the Toronto's advantage after 13 shutout innings and shifting the tone of the game.

Shohei's Performance

That hit also halted Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 consecutive at-bats getting on base. The two-way phenomenon had smashed two homers and reached safely a record nine times in the Los Angeles' third game walk-off. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on limited rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the previous extra-inning game.

His fastball velocity was under his seasonal average and he labored more as the contest progressed. Even so, he displayed glimpses of his typical control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to extend his Fall Classic record. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six base hits and four runs were charged to him in six-plus innings.

Seventh Inning Surge

The larger issue for Los Angeles was what came next when he finally lost energy.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh with a sharp hit to right field, and Ernie Clement smashed a double off the wall to put two on with no outs. Roberts had no option but to remove Ohtani, who departed to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not finish the inning.

Anthony Banda came into the mess and immediately trailed in the count. Andrés 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 enough to remove the pitcher out of the contest. Blake Treinen entered next but also failed to stem the momentum: Bo Bichette and Barger punched RBI singles through the infield, completing a four-score outburst that extended the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Blue Jays's capacity to withstand initial blows and answer has defined their entire run. They once again succeeded without Springer, the injured top-of-the-order hitter who left Game 3 after tweaking his right side.

Bieber, in contrast, was everything Toronto needed. Acquired mid-season while finishing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the former Cy Young winner stranded several runners and quieted the Los Angeles' dangerous batting order. He allowed one earned run on four base hits and three walks before Schneider summoned first-year pitcher Fluharty to face the heart of the order in the sixth. He needed just 4 pitches to get out Muncy and Edman, protecting a narrow lead that soon grew comfortable.

Converted starter Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' bats kept to struggle. Los Angeles have scored only three runs over their last 20 innings, an sudden slowdown for a team that ranked among baseball's elite offenses all year.

Final Innings

The Los Angeles scraped a run in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman grounded out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Muncy's two-base hit put two on base. But Louis Varland closed it down without permitting a comeback to build.

Following a night when the Blue Jays left a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and fell apart after repeated of wasted opportunities, Game 4 was ruthlessly effective. Six separate Toronto players recorded base hits, five brought home scores and the squad cashed nearly every scoring chance available in the final innings.

Next Up

The win ensures the World Series trophy will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not won a title since Joe Carter's famous walk-off homer in 1993. They now are aware they are assured a full house in Toronto on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what occurs next in LA.

The fifth game approaches with the series even and momentum shifting to Toronto. Los Angeles left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Toronto's surge. The Blue Jays counter with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Blue Jays knocked out Snell early in an decisive victory.