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

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run home run and Bieber delivered a steady outing as the Blue Jays beat the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 4 on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, tying the World Series at two games each and ensuring the series will head back to Toronto.

Toronto had spent the morning of Tuesday dealing with their 18-inning third game defeat – equal to the lengthiest Fall Classic game ever – a defeat that cost them the chance to take the lead in the series and depleted both relief corps. Manager John Schneider insisted later that “they took a contest, not the championship”. A day later, his squad offered convincing proof.

Initial Action

The Dodgers again struck first. Muncy drew a walk in the second, moved up on a base hit and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the initial breakthrough did not shake a Blue Jays team that topped Major League Baseball with 49 comeback wins this year.

They responded right away in the third. Lukes lined a one away single to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate looking for a curveball. Ohtani left a sweeper up and he sent it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his first extra-base hit of the series and his 7th home run this postseason – a fresh club record – restoring the Toronto's lead after 13 shutout frames and changing the tone of the game.

Ohtani's Performance

That swing also ended Shohei Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 consecutive plate appearances reaching base. The dual-threat star had smashed two home runs and got on base a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 walk-off. But on that night, he started on limited rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the prior extra-inning game.

His fastball velocity sat under his regular-season norm and he struggled more as the game progressed. Nonetheless, he displayed glimpses of his typical control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first to continue his Fall Classic record. But the Toronto made him work: six base hits and four runs were charged to him in over six frames.

Seventh Inning Surge

The larger issue for Los Angeles was what followed when he finally ran out of energy.

Varsho opened the seventh with a sharp single to right, and Clement smashed a two-base hit off the fence to put runners on with no outs. Dave Roberts had no option but to remove Ohtani, who exited to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Dodgers' bullpen could not complete the escape.

Anthony Banda came into the mess and right away fell behind. Andrés Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before scoring Varsho with a single to left field. France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove the pitcher out of the game. Treinen came in next but also was unable to stem the rally: Bichette and Barger punched RBI base hits through the infield, capping a four-score barrage that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Blue Jays's capacity to absorb initial blows and respond has defined their entire postseason. They once again did it without George Springer, the injured top-of-the-order hitter who left Game 3 after straining his oblique.

Bieber, meanwhile, was everything Toronto required. Acquired during the summer while completing rehab from elbow surgery, the ex- award-winning winner stranded several baserunners and silenced the Dodgers' potent lineup. He gave up one earned run on four hits and three free passes before the manager called on first-year left-hander Fluharty to confront the core of the lineup in the sixth inning. Fluharty required just four pitches to get out Muncy and Edman, protecting a fragile advantage that soon became safe.

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

Final Moments

The Los Angeles scraped 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 develop.

After a night when the Blue Jays left a World Series-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after wave upon wave of missed chances, the fourth contest was brutally efficient. Six separate Blue Jays recorded base hits, five brought home runs and the team converted almost every scoring chance available in the final innings.

Next Up

The victory ensures the championship title will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not celebrated a championship since Carter's iconic walk-off homer in 1993. They now know they are guaranteed a full house in Canada on Friday night – and possibly the next day – no matter what happens next in LA.

The fifth game looms with the series reset and energy swinging north. Los Angeles pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Blue Jays's momentum. The Blue Jays respond with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Toronto knocked out Snell quickly in an decisive win.