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Less than a day after enduring one of the most draining losses in Fall Classic annals, the Toronto Blue Jays played with total control.

Guerrero crushed a two-run homer and Bieber delivered a composed start as Toronto beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, squaring the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and ensuring the series will head back to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had spent the morning of the next day dealing with their marathon Game 3 loss – equal to the longest World Series game ever – a loss that denied them the opportunity to take the lead in the series and burned through both relief corps. Manager John Schneider stated afterwards that “the Dodgers took a game, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad offered convincing proof.

Early Innings

The Los Angeles again scored first. Muncy walked in the second, moved up on a base hit and crossed the plate on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial breakthrough did not rattle a Blue Jays team that led MLB with 49 comeback wins this year.

They answered right away in the third. Lukes hit a one away single to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in hunting a curveball. Shohei Ohtani left a slider up and Guerrero drove it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his first extra-base hit of the World Series and his 7th homer this playoffs – a fresh team record – restoring the Toronto's lead after 13 shutout frames and shifting the tone of the night.

Ohtani's Performance

That swing also ended Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 consecutive at-bats getting on base. The dual-threat star had smashed two homers and got on base a record nine times in the Los Angeles' third game comeback win. But on Tuesday, he started on short rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the prior extra-inning game.

His fastball velocity was below his regular-season average and he struggled more as the contest progressed. Even so, he displayed flashes of his typical control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first to extend his Fall Classic record. But the Toronto made him work: six hits and four earned runs were charged to him in over six innings.

Seventh Inning Rally

The bigger issue for the Dodgers was what followed when Ohtani finally ran out of steam.

Varsho opened the seventh with a clean hit to right field, and Clement smashed a double off the fence to put two on with none out. Roberts had no option but to pull the starter, who exited to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Dodgers' bullpen could not finish the escape.

Anthony Banda inherited the mess and right away trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before driving in the runner with a base hit to left field. Ty France followed 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 stem the momentum: Bichette and Addison Barger punched run-scoring singles through the infield, capping a four-run outburst that extended the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Blue Jays's ability to withstand initial setbacks and answer has characterized their whole run. They once again did it without Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order man who left the third game after tweaking his right side.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what Toronto needed. Acquired during the summer while finishing rehab from elbow surgery, the ex- award-winning winner stranded several baserunners and silenced the Los Angeles' potent batting order. He gave up one run on four hits and three free passes before Schneider summoned rookie pitcher Fluharty to face the core of the lineup in the sixth. Fluharty required just 4 throws to get out Max Muncy and Edman, preserving a narrow advantage that soon grew safe.

Former starting pitcher Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' offense kept to struggle. The Dodgers have scored only 3 scores over their last 20 innings, an abrupt slowdown for a team that ranked among MLB's top lineups all year.

Final Innings

The Dodgers managed a score in the ninth when Tommy Edman hit into an out to score Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's double put two on base. But Louis Varland closed it down without permitting a comeback to develop.

Following a game when Toronto left a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after repeated of wasted chances, Game 4 was brutally effective. Six different Blue Jays collected hits, 5 brought home scores and the squad converted almost every scoring opportunity presented in the final innings.

Looking Ahead

The win guarantees the World Series title will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not won a championship since Joe Carter's famous game-winning homer in 1993. They now are aware they are assured a packed house in Toronto on Friday night – and possibly Saturday – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game approaches with the matchup reset and energy shifting north. Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Toronto's surge. Toronto respond with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Blue Jays knocked out the starter early in an decisive victory.