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

Guerrero smashed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber delivered a steady start as Toronto defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, tying the World Series at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the series will head back to Canada.

The Blue Jays had passed the morning of Tuesday dealing with their 18-inning Game 3 loss – tied for the lengthiest World Series contest ever – a defeat that denied them the opportunity to take the lead in the series and burned through both relief corps. Skipper Schneider stated later that “they won a game, not the World Series”. A day later, his team provided convincing evidence.

Initial Action

The Dodgers again scored first. Max Muncy walked in the second, advanced on a single and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early score did not shake a Toronto team that topped MLB with 49 comeback victories this season.

They responded right away in the third inning. Nathan Lukes lined a one away single to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in hunting a curveball. Shohei Ohtani threw a slider up and he drove it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his initial long hit of the series and his 7th homer this postseason – a fresh team record – regaining the Toronto's advantage after 13 scoreless innings and changing the tone of the night.

Ohtani's Night

That hit also ended Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 consecutive at-bats getting on base. The two-way star had smashed two home runs and got on base a record nine times in the Dodgers' 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 sat under his seasonal norm and he struggled more as the game wore on. Even so, he displayed glimpses of his usual command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and striking out six. He even walked in the first inning to continue his World Series streak. But the Blue Jays made him work: six base hits and four runs were charged to him in six-plus innings.

Seventh Inning Rally

The larger issue for the Dodgers was what came next when he eventually lost energy.

Varsho opened the seventh inning with a sharp single to right field, and Ernie Clement smashed a double off the fence to put two on with no outs. Dave Roberts had little choice but to remove the starter, who exited to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Dodgers' bullpen could not complete the escape.

Banda came into the jam and immediately fell behind. Giménez fought to a full count before scoring Varsho with a base hit to left field. Ty France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock Banda out of the contest. 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 margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Blue Jays's capacity to withstand initial blows and respond has characterized their whole run. They once again did it without Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order hitter who exited Game 3 after straining his oblique.

Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what the Blue Jays needed. Acquired mid-season while completing recovery from elbow surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner left multiple runners and silenced the Dodgers' potent batting order. He gave up one run on four base hits and three walks before the manager called on rookie pitcher Mason Fluharty to confront the heart of the lineup in the sixth inning. Fluharty needed just 4 pitches to retire Max Muncy and Edman, protecting a fragile advantage that soon grew safe.

Converted starter Chris Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' offense continued to struggle. Los Angeles have scored only three runs over their previous 20 innings, an abrupt downturn for a team that ranked among baseball's elite lineups all season.

Closing Moments

The Dodgers managed a run in the ninth inning when Edman grounded out to bring home Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's two-base hit put two aboard. But Louis Varland finished the game without permitting a comeback to develop.

After a game when Toronto stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after wave upon wave of missed opportunities, the fourth contest was brutally effective. Six different Toronto players recorded base hits, 5 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 trophy will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not celebrated a championship since Joe Carter's iconic walk-off homer in 1993. They now are aware they are assured a packed house in Toronto on Friday evening – and perhaps the next day – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 looms with the matchup reset and momentum swinging to Toronto. Los Angeles left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Toronto's momentum. The Blue Jays counter with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Toronto knocked out Snell quickly in an 11-4 victory.