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Less than a day after staggering through one of the most draining defeats in World Series annals, the Blue Jays displayed total control.

Guerrero crushed a two-run homer and Bieber delivered a composed outing 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 guaranteeing the series will return to Toronto.

Toronto had passed the morning of Tuesday dealing with their marathon Game 3 loss – equal to the lengthiest Fall Classic contest ever – a loss that cost them the chance to lead the series and burned through both bullpens. Manager Schneider stated later that “the Dodgers won a contest, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his team provided emphatic proof.

Initial Innings

The Dodgers again struck first. Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, advanced on a single and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial score did not shake a Blue Jays club that led Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind wins this year.

They answered immediately in the third. Lukes lined a one away single to center field and Guerrero came to the plate hunting a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani threw a sweeper up and Guerrero sent it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his first extra-base hit of the series and his seventh homer this postseason – a fresh club mark – regaining the Toronto's lead after 13 shutout frames and shifting the tone of the night.

Ohtani's Performance

That hit also ended Ohtani's history-making run of 11 consecutive at-bats reaching base. The two-way star had hit two homers and got on base a historic nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 comeback win. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on limited rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the previous marathon.

His fastball velocity sat under his seasonal average and he labored more as the contest wore on. Even so, he showed glimpses of his usual control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and striking out six. He even walked in the first to continue his Fall Classic streak. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six base hits and four earned runs were credited to him in over six frames.

Seventh Inning Rally

The bigger problem for Los Angeles was what came next when he eventually ran out of energy.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh inning with a clean single to right, and Ernie Clement drilled a two-base hit off the fence to put two on with none out. Roberts had little choice but to pull Ohtani, who exited to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Dodgers' relief corps could not finish the inning.

Banda came into the mess and right away fell behind. Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before driving in the runner with a single to left field. France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock Banda out of the contest. Treinen entered next but also failed to stop the rally: Bichette and Barger punched run-scoring base hits through the infield, completing a four-score outburst that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Blue Jays's ability to absorb initial blows and answer has defined their entire postseason. They once again succeeded without Springer, the hurt leadoff hitter who exited Game 3 after straining his oblique.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what Toronto needed. Traded for during the summer while completing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner left multiple baserunners and quieted the Los Angeles' potent lineup. He allowed one run on four hits and three free passes before Schneider summoned first-year left-hander Mason Fluharty to confront the heart of the lineup in the sixth inning. Fluharty required just four throws to get out Muncy and Edman, protecting a fragile lead that quickly became safe.

Converted starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' bats continued to sputter. Los Angeles have produced only three runs over their last 20 frames, an sudden slowdown for a team that was among MLB's top lineups all season.

Final Innings

The Dodgers managed a run in the ninth when Tommy Edman grounded out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's double put two aboard. But Varland finished the game without allowing a comeback to build.

After a game when Toronto left a World Series-record 19 runners and fell apart after repeated of wasted opportunities, Game 4 was ruthlessly effective. 6 separate Blue Jays collected base hits, 5 drove in scores and the team converted almost every run-scoring chance presented in the late stanzas.

Next Up

The victory ensures the World Series trophy will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not won a title since Joe Carter's famous game-winning homer in 1993. They now are aware they are assured a full crowd in Canada on Friday evening – and possibly Saturday – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 looms with the series even and energy swinging to Toronto. Dodgers pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Blue Jays's surge. Toronto respond with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Blue Jays chased Snell early in an decisive win.