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Only 24 hours following enduring one of the most draining losses in Fall Classic annals, the Blue Jays displayed complete control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber delivered a composed start as Toronto defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, squaring the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the series will head back to Canada.

Toronto had passed the morning of the next day processing their marathon Game 3 loss – equal to the longest World Series game ever – a defeat that denied them the opportunity to take the lead in the matchup and burned through both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider insisted afterwards that “they won a contest, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his team offered convincing evidence.

Initial Innings

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

They answered immediately in the third. Nathan Lukes lined a one away base hit to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in hunting a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani threw a slider up and Guerrero sent it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his initial extra-base hit of the series and his seventh home run this postseason – a fresh team record – regaining the Toronto's lead after 13 scoreless frames and changing the tone of the game.

Shohei's Performance

That hit also halted Shohei Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 straight plate appearances getting on base. The dual-threat star had smashed two home runs and reached safely a record nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 walk-off. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on short rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the previous marathon.

His fastball velocity sat under his regular-season average and he labored more as the contest wore on. Nonetheless, he displayed flashes of his usual command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and fanning six. He even walked in the first inning to extend his World Series record. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six base hits and four runs were charged to him in over six innings.

Seventh Inning Rally

The larger problem for the Dodgers was what came next when he finally ran out of steam.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh inning with a sharp single to right field, and Clement drilled a two-base hit off the fence 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 Dodgers' relief corps could not finish the inning.

Anthony Banda inherited the jam and right away fell behind. Andrés Giménez fought to a full count before scoring Varsho with a base hit to left. France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove Banda out of the game. Blake Treinen came in next but also failed to stem the momentum: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger hit run-scoring singles through the diamond, capping a four-run barrage that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Toronto's capacity to withstand early blows and answer has defined their entire postseason. They once again succeeded without Springer, the hurt leadoff man who exited Game 3 after straining his right side.

Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what Toronto required. Acquired during the summer while completing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the former award-winning winner stranded multiple baserunners and silenced the Los Angeles' potent batting order. He allowed one earned run on four base hits and three walks before the manager called on first-year pitcher Fluharty to face the heart of the order in the sixth. He needed just four pitches to get out Muncy and Edman, preserving a fragile lead that soon grew safe.

Converted starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' offense kept to struggle. The Dodgers have scored only 3 scores over their previous 20 innings, an abrupt slowdown for a team that ranked among baseball's top lineups all season.

Final Innings

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

After a night when the Blue Jays stranded a World Series-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after repeated of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was brutally effective. Six different Toronto players collected hits, 5 drove in scores and the squad converted almost every run-scoring opportunity presented in the final innings.

Looking Ahead

The victory guarantees the championship trophy will be presented at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a championship since Carter's iconic walk-off homer in 1993. They now are aware they are guaranteed a full house in Canada on Friday evening – and perhaps the next day – no matter what happens next in LA.

The fifth game looms with the matchup even and energy shifting to Toronto. Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Blue Jays's surge. 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 quickly in an 11-4 win.