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Only 24 hours after enduring one of the most exhausting losses in World Series annals, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed complete control.

Guerrero smashed a two-run homer and Bieber delivered a steady start as Toronto defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, tying the Fall Classic at two games each and guaranteeing the series will return to Canada.

The Blue Jays had passed the morning of Tuesday processing their 18-inning third game defeat – tied for the longest World Series game ever – a loss that denied them the chance to take the lead in the matchup and depleted both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider insisted afterwards that “the Dodgers took a contest, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his team provided emphatic evidence.

Initial Innings

The Dodgers again scored first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second, moved up on a single 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 come-from-behind wins this year.

They responded immediately in the third inning. Nathan Lukes lined a one away base hit to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in hunting a curveball. Shohei Ohtani left a sweeper up and he sent it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his initial long hit of the World Series and his seventh home run this playoffs – a fresh club mark – restoring the Blue Jays's lead after 13 shutout frames and shifting the tone of the game.

Shohei's Performance

That hit also ended Shohei Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 consecutive at-bats getting on base. The dual-threat star had smashed two home runs and got on base a record nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 comeback win. But on that night, he took the mound on short rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the previous extra-inning game.

Ohtani pitch speed was below his regular-season norm and he labored more as the game progressed. Nonetheless, he displayed flashes of his usual command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first to extend his World Series record. But the Blue Jays made him work: six hits and four runs were credited to him in over six innings.

Seventh Inning Surge

The bigger problem for the Dodgers was what followed when he finally lost energy.

Varsho started the seventh inning with a clean hit to right, and Clement smashed a two-base hit off the fence to put runners on with none out. Dave Roberts had no option but to remove Ohtani, who departed to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Dodgers' bullpen could not complete the inning.

Anthony Banda inherited the mess and immediately fell behind. Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before scoring Varsho with a single to left. Ty France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove the pitcher out of the game. Treinen entered next but also failed to stop the momentum: Bo Bichette and Barger punched run-scoring singles through the diamond, completing a four-run barrage that extended the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Toronto's capacity to absorb early setbacks and respond has characterized their entire run. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the hurt leadoff man who left Game 3 after straining his oblique.

Bieber, in contrast, was everything Toronto needed. Acquired mid-season while finishing recovery from elbow surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner stranded multiple baserunners and silenced the Dodgers' dangerous batting order. He allowed one earned run on four hits and three free passes before Schneider summoned rookie pitcher Fluharty to confront the heart of the order in the sixth. He required just 4 throws to get out Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a fragile lead that quickly became comfortable.

Converted starter Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' bats kept to sputter. The Dodgers have scored only three scores over their previous 20 innings, an abrupt slowdown for a team that was among baseball's top offenses all year.

Final Innings

The Dodgers scraped a score in the ninth when Tommy Edman hit into an out to score Hernández after a walk and Muncy's double put runners aboard. But Varland finished the game without allowing a comeback to build.

After a night when the Blue Jays left a World Series-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after wave upon wave of missed opportunities, the fourth contest was ruthlessly efficient. 6 separate Blue Jays collected hits, 5 drove in scores and the squad cashed almost every scoring chance presented in the final innings.

Next Up

The victory ensures the championship trophy will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a championship since Joe Carter's famous game-winning home run in '93. They now know they are assured a packed house in Canada on Friday evening – and possibly Saturday – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game looms with the series reset and momentum shifting to Toronto. Los Angeles pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Toronto's surge. Toronto respond with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Blue Jays chased the starter early in an decisive victory.