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

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber provided a steady start as the Blue Jays beat the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, tying the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and ensuring the matchup will head back to Canada.

Toronto had spent the early hours of Tuesday dealing with their marathon third game defeat – equal to the lengthiest Fall Classic contest ever – a loss that denied them the chance to take the lead in the matchup and depleted both bullpens. Manager Schneider insisted afterwards that “the Dodgers took a contest, not the World Series”. A day later, his team offered emphatic proof.

Early Action

The Los Angeles again struck first. Max Muncy walked in the second inning, advanced on a single and crossed the plate on Hernández's fly out. But the early score did not shake a Blue Jays club that topped MLB with 49 come-from-behind victories this year.

They answered immediately in the third. Nathan Lukes hit a one away single to centre 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 home run this playoffs – a fresh club mark – regaining the Blue Jays's lead after 13 scoreless frames and changing the tone of the game.

Shohei's Night

That swing also ended Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 straight plate appearances getting on base. The two-way star had smashed two home runs and got on base a record nine times in the Dodgers' third game walk-off. But on Tuesday, he started on short rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the previous extra-inning game.

His fastball velocity sat below his seasonal average and he labored more as the contest wore on. Nonetheless, he showed flashes of his usual control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and striking out six. He even walked in the first to continue his World Series streak. But the Toronto made him work: six hits and four earned runs were credited to him in six-plus frames.

Seventh Inning Surge

The bigger issue for Los Angeles was what followed when he finally lost energy.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh inning with a clean single to right, and Ernie Clement smashed a two-base hit 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 home crowd. The Dodgers' bullpen could not finish the inning.

Banda came into the mess and immediately trailed in the count. Giménez fought to a full count before scoring the runner with a base hit to left. Ty France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock the pitcher out of the contest. Blake Treinen entered next but also was unable to stem the rally: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger punched RBI singles through the diamond, completing a four-run barrage that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Toronto's capacity to withstand initial blows and respond has defined their whole postseason. They once again succeeded without Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order man who left Game 3 after tweaking his right side.

Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what the Blue Jays needed. Acquired during the summer while finishing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the former Cy Young winner stranded several runners and silenced the Los Angeles' potent lineup. He gave up one run on four hits and three walks before Schneider called on rookie left-hander Fluharty to confront the core of the lineup in the sixth. He needed just four throws to get out Max Muncy and Edman, preserving a narrow advantage that quickly became comfortable.

Former starting pitcher Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' bats kept to struggle. The Dodgers have produced only 3 runs over their last 20 frames, an abrupt downturn for a team that was among MLB's top offenses all season.

Final Moments

The Dodgers managed a score in the ninth when Edman hit into an out to score Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Muncy's two-base hit put runners aboard. But Varland finished the game without permitting a comeback to build.

Following a night when the Blue Jays left a World Series-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after repeated of wasted chances, Game 4 was brutally effective. Six different Blue Jays recorded base hits, five drove in runs and the team cashed nearly every scoring opportunity presented in the late innings.

Looking Ahead

The victory guarantees the championship trophy will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a title since Carter's iconic walk-off homer in 1993. They now know they are guaranteed a packed house in Canada on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game approaches with the series reset and energy swinging north. Los Angeles left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Toronto's momentum. The Blue Jays counter with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Toronto chased the starter early in an decisive win.