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Less than a day following staggering through one of the most draining defeats in Fall Classic history, the Toronto Blue Jays played with total command.

Guerrero smashed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber provided a steady outing as Toronto beat the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, squaring the Fall Classic at two games each and ensuring the series will head back to Canada.

The Blue Jays had passed the morning of the next day processing their 18-inning Game 3 loss – equal to the lengthiest World Series game ever – a loss that cost them the chance to take the lead in the series and depleted both relief corps. Skipper Schneider insisted afterwards that “they won a game, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his team provided convincing proof.

Initial Action

The Los Angeles again scored first. Muncy drew a walk in the second, moved up on a single and crossed the plate on Hernández's fly out. But the initial breakthrough did not rattle a Blue Jays team that topped MLB with 49 come-from-behind victories this year.

They answered immediately in the third inning. Lukes lined a one-out single to center field and Guerrero came to the plate looking for a curveball. Ohtani left a slider up and Guerrero sent it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his first long hit of the series and his 7th homer this postseason – a fresh club record – restoring the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 shutout innings and shifting the momentum of the game.

Ohtani's Performance

That hit also halted Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 consecutive at-bats getting on base. The dual-threat phenomenon had smashed two home runs and got on base a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' third game 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.

His fastball velocity was under his regular-season average and he struggled more as the contest wore on. Nonetheless, he showed flashes of his usual command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first to extend his World Series streak. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six hits and four earned runs were charged to him in over six frames.

Late Game Rally

The bigger issue for the Dodgers was what followed when Ohtani finally lost energy.

Varsho started the seventh inning with a clean hit to right field, and Ernie Clement drilled a double off the wall to put runners on with none out. Dave Roberts had little choice but to remove the starter, who departed to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Dodgers' bullpen could not complete the escape.

Banda came into the jam and right away trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez fought to a full count before driving in Varsho with a single to left field. France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock the pitcher out of the game. Treinen entered next but also failed to stem the momentum: Bo Bichette and Barger hit RBI base hits through the infield, capping a four-score outburst that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Toronto's ability to absorb early blows and respond has defined their whole postseason. They once again did it without Springer, the injured top-of-the-order hitter who left Game 3 after straining his oblique.

Bieber, in contrast, was everything Toronto needed. Traded for mid-season while finishing rehab from elbow surgery, the ex- award-winning winner left several runners and quieted the Dodgers' dangerous batting order. He allowed one run on four base hits and three free passes before Schneider summoned rookie left-hander Fluharty to face the heart of the order in the sixth inning. Fluharty needed just 4 throws to retire Muncy and Edman, preserving a narrow lead that quickly became comfortable.

Former starter Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' bats continued to sputter. Los Angeles have scored only three runs over their previous 20 innings, an sudden downturn for a team that ranked among MLB's top offenses all season.

Closing Innings

The Dodgers scraped a run in the ninth inning when Edman grounded out to score Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's double put two on base. But Varland finished the game without allowing a comeback to build.

Following a game when the Blue Jays stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after wave upon wave of missed chances, Game 4 was ruthlessly effective. Six separate Toronto players recorded hits, 5 brought home runs and the squad converted nearly every run-scoring chance presented in the final innings.

Looking Ahead

The victory ensures the championship trophy will be presented at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not celebrated a title since Carter's famous walk-off home run in 1993. They now are aware they are guaranteed a full house in Canada on Friday night – and possibly Saturday – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game approaches with the series reset and energy swinging to Toronto. Los Angeles left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Toronto's surge. The Blue Jays respond with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Blue Jays chased the starter early in an 11-4 victory.