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Less than a day following enduring one of the most draining defeats in World Series history, the Blue Jays displayed total command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run homer and Bieber provided a composed outing as the Blue Jays defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, squaring the World Series at two wins apiece and ensuring the series will head back to Toronto.

Toronto had spent the morning of Tuesday processing their marathon third game defeat – equal to the lengthiest World Series game ever – a defeat that cost them the chance to take the lead in the series and depleted both relief corps. Manager Schneider insisted later that “the Dodgers won a game, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad provided convincing proof.

Early Innings

The Los Angeles again struck first. Max Muncy walked in the second inning, moved up on a base hit and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the early breakthrough did not shake a Blue Jays team that topped MLB with 49 comeback wins this year.

They responded right away in the third. Nathan Lukes hit a one-out base hit to center field and Guerrero stepped in hunting a curveball. Ohtani threw a slider up and Guerrero sent it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his first extra-base hit of the series and his 7th home run this playoffs – a fresh club mark – regaining the Blue Jays's lead after 13 shutout frames and changing the momentum of the night.

Ohtani's Night

That swing also ended Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 straight at-bats getting on base. The two-way star had smashed two homers and reached safely a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 comeback win. But on Tuesday, he started on short rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the previous extra-inning game.

Ohtani pitch speed sat under his regular-season average and he labored more as the contest progressed. Even so, he displayed glimpses of his usual control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and striking out six. He even walked in the first inning to continue his World Series streak. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six hits and four runs were charged to him in six-plus innings.

Seventh Inning Rally

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

Varsho opened the seventh with a clean single to right, and Ernie Clement smashed a two-base hit off the fence to put two on with no outs. Roberts had no option but to pull Ohtani, who departed to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Dodgers' bullpen could not complete the inning.

Anthony Banda inherited the jam and right away trailed in the count. Giménez fought to a full count before scoring the runner with a single to left field. France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock the pitcher out of the contest. Blake Treinen entered next but also failed to stem the rally: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger punched run-scoring singles through the infield, completing a four-score barrage that extended the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Blue Jays's capacity to withstand initial blows and respond has defined their entire postseason. They once again did it without George Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order hitter who left the third game after straining his oblique.

Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what the Blue Jays needed. Acquired during the summer while completing rehab from elbow surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner stranded several runners and silenced the Dodgers' dangerous batting order. He gave up one run on four hits and three free passes before the manager called on first-year pitcher Fluharty to confront the heart of the lineup in the sixth. Fluharty needed just four pitches to retire Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a fragile lead that quickly became safe.

Converted starter Chris Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' bats kept to sputter. Los Angeles have scored only 3 runs over their previous 20 innings, an sudden downturn for a team that ranked among MLB's elite offenses all year.

Final Moments

The Los Angeles managed a score in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman grounded out to score Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Muncy's two-base hit put two aboard. But Louis Varland closed it down without permitting a rally to build.

After a night when Toronto left a World Series-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after wave upon wave of missed chances, the fourth contest was brutally effective. Six different Blue Jays recorded hits, five brought home scores and the squad cashed almost every scoring chance presented in the late stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The win guarantees the World Series title will be presented at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not celebrated a championship since Carter's iconic walk-off home run in '93. They now are aware they are assured a packed house in Toronto on Friday night – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what happens next in LA.

The fifth game looms with the matchup reset and energy shifting to Toronto. Dodgers left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Toronto's momentum. Toronto respond with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Blue Jays knocked out Snell early in an decisive victory.