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Only 24 hours following enduring one of the most exhausting losses in Fall Classic annals, the Toronto Blue Jays played with complete control.

Guerrero smashed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber delivered a composed start as Toronto defeated the 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 return to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had spent the morning of the next day processing their 18-inning third game defeat – equal to the longest Fall Classic game ever – a defeat that cost them the opportunity to take the lead in the matchup and burned through both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider stated later that “they took a game, not the championship”. A day later, his team provided emphatic evidence.

Early Action

The Los Angeles again struck first. Muncy drew a walk in the second, advanced on a single and scored on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial breakthrough did not shake a Blue Jays club that topped Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind victories this season.

They responded right away in the third inning. Lukes lined a one-out base hit to center field and Guerrero came to the plate hunting a curveball. Shohei Ohtani threw a sweeper up and Guerrero drove it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his initial long hit of the World Series and his 7th homer this postseason – a fresh club mark – regaining the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 shutout frames and changing the momentum of the night.

Ohtani's Performance

That hit also ended Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 consecutive plate appearances getting on base. The dual-threat star had smashed two homers and reached safely a record nine times in the Los Angeles' third game comeback win. But on that night, he took the mound on limited rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the previous extra-inning game.

His fastball velocity sat under his seasonal average and he struggled more as the game progressed. Nonetheless, he displayed glimpses of his usual control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and striking out six. He even walked in the first inning to continue his World Series streak. But the Toronto made him work: six base hits and four earned runs were credited to him in over six frames.

Seventh Inning Rally

The larger issue for Los Angeles was what came next when Ohtani finally ran out of steam.

Varsho opened the seventh inning with a sharp hit to right field, and Ernie Clement drilled a double off the wall to put two on with no outs. Roberts had no option but to remove Ohtani, who exited to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Dodgers' relief corps could not finish the inning.

Banda came into the jam and immediately fell behind. Andrés Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before scoring the runner with a single to left field. Ty France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove the pitcher out of the contest. Treinen entered next but also was unable to stem the rally: Bichette and Barger punched run-scoring base hits through the diamond, completing a four-score outburst that extended the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Toronto's capacity to withstand initial setbacks and answer has characterized their whole postseason. They once again succeeded without Springer, the injured top-of-the-order man who left the third game after tweaking his oblique.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was everything Toronto required. Acquired mid-season while finishing recovery from elbow surgery, the ex- award-winning winner stranded multiple runners and silenced the Dodgers' dangerous batting order. He gave up one run on four hits and three walks before the manager summoned first-year pitcher Fluharty to face the core of the order in the sixth inning. He required just four pitches to get out Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a fragile advantage that soon became comfortable.

Converted starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' offense kept to sputter. Los Angeles have scored only 3 runs over their previous 20 innings, an sudden downturn for a team that was among MLB's top offenses all season.

Closing Moments

The Dodgers managed a run in the ninth when Edman hit into an out to score Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Muncy's two-base hit put runners aboard. But Louis Varland finished the game without permitting a rally to develop.

After a game when Toronto left a World Series-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after wave upon wave of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was ruthlessly effective. 6 different Toronto players collected hits, 5 drove in scores and the team converted nearly every scoring opportunity available in the late innings.

Next Up

The victory ensures the championship trophy will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a championship since Joe Carter's iconic walk-off home run in '93. They now are aware they are guaranteed a packed house in Canada on Friday evening – and perhaps the next day – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 approaches with the series even and energy shifting to Toronto. Dodgers pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Toronto's momentum. Toronto counter with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Blue Jays knocked out Snell early in an decisive win.