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Only 24 hours after staggering through one of the most exhausting defeats in Fall Classic history, the Blue Jays played with total control.

Guerrero crushed a two-run homer and Bieber provided a steady outing as Toronto defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, tying the World Series at two games each and ensuring the matchup will return to Canada.

Toronto had spent the early hours of Tuesday processing their marathon Game 3 loss – tied for the longest Fall Classic game ever – a defeat that denied them the opportunity to lead the matchup and burned through both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider stated later that “the Dodgers won a contest, not the championship”. A day later, his squad provided convincing proof.

Initial Innings

The Los Angeles again struck first. Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, moved up on a single and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the early breakthrough did not rattle a Toronto team that led Major League Baseball with 49 comeback wins this year.

They answered immediately in the third inning. Lukes lined a one-out base hit to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate hunting a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani threw a slider up and Guerrero sent it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his first extra-base hit of the World Series and his seventh homer this postseason – a fresh team record – regaining the Blue Jays's lead after 13 shutout innings and changing the tone of the game.

Ohtani's Night

That swing also ended Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 consecutive plate appearances reaching base. The two-way phenomenon had smashed two homers and got on base a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' third game walk-off. But on that night, he took the mound on limited rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the previous marathon.

His fastball velocity was below his seasonal average and he labored more as the contest wore on. Nonetheless, he displayed flashes of his usual control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to continue his Fall Classic streak. But the Blue Jays made him work: six hits and four earned runs were charged to him in six-plus frames.

Late Game Surge

The bigger issue for the Dodgers was what came next when Ohtani eventually lost steam.

Daulton Varsho started the seventh with a clean single to right field, and Clement smashed a two-base hit off the wall to put runners on with no outs. Roberts had little choice but to remove the starter, who exited to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Dodgers' bullpen could not complete the inning.

Anthony Banda inherited the jam and right away fell behind. Giménez fought to a full count before scoring the runner with a single to left field. France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove Banda out of the contest. Blake Treinen came in next but also failed to stop the rally: Bichette and Addison Barger hit run-scoring base hits through the diamond, completing a four-run outburst that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Blue Jays's ability to absorb initial setbacks and answer has characterized their entire postseason. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the injured leadoff hitter who exited Game 3 after tweaking his oblique.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what Toronto needed. Traded for mid-season while finishing recovery from elbow surgery, the ex- award-winning winner left multiple runners and quieted the Los Angeles' potent lineup. He allowed one earned run on four hits and three walks before the manager called on rookie left-hander Fluharty to face the core of the lineup in the sixth. Fluharty needed just 4 pitches to retire Muncy and Edman, protecting a fragile advantage that soon became comfortable.

Converted starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' offense kept to sputter. The Dodgers have scored only three scores over their last 20 innings, an sudden downturn for a team that was among MLB's elite lineups all year.

Closing Moments

The Los Angeles managed a run in the ninth when Edman hit into an out to bring home Hernández after a walk and Muncy's two-base hit put runners aboard. But Louis Varland finished the game without allowing a comeback to build.

Following a game when Toronto stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and collapsed after repeated of wasted chances, the fourth contest was ruthlessly efficient. 6 separate Toronto players recorded base hits, five drove in scores and the squad cashed almost every run-scoring opportunity available in the late innings.

Next Up

The victory guarantees the World Series title will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not won a title since Joe Carter's iconic walk-off home run in 1993. They now are aware they are guaranteed a full house in Toronto on Friday evening – and perhaps the next day – no matter what occurs next in LA.

Game 5 looms with the series reset and energy swinging to Toronto. Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Toronto's surge. Toronto counter with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Toronto chased the starter early in an 11-4 victory.