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Less than a day after staggering through one of the most exhausting defeats in Fall Classic history, the Blue Jays played with total control.

Guerrero smashed a two-run home run and Bieber delivered a steady outing as Toronto defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, squaring the World Series at two games each and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Canada.

The Blue Jays had spent the early hours of the next day processing their 18-inning Game 3 loss – equal to the lengthiest Fall Classic contest ever – a defeat that denied them the opportunity to lead the series and depleted both bullpens. Skipper Schneider stated afterwards that “the Dodgers took a contest, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad offered convincing evidence.

Initial Innings

The Los Angeles again scored first. Max Muncy walked in the second, advanced on a single and crossed the plate on Hernández's fly out. But the early breakthrough did not rattle a Toronto team that topped MLB with 49 comeback victories this year.

They responded right away in the third inning. Lukes lined a one-out base hit to centre and Guerrero came to the plate hunting a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani threw a sweeper up and he drove it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his first long hit of the World Series and his seventh homer this postseason – a new team mark – regaining the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 shutout innings and changing the tone of the game.

Ohtani's Performance

That swing also halted Shohei Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 straight plate appearances getting on base. The dual-threat phenomenon had smashed two homers and got on base a record nine times in the Los Angeles' third game walk-off. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on limited rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the prior extra-inning game.

Ohtani fastball velocity sat below his regular-season average and he struggled more as the contest progressed. Even so, he showed glimpses of his typical control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and fanning six. He even walked in the first inning to extend his World Series streak. But the Toronto made him work: six hits and four earned runs were charged to him in over six innings.

Seventh Inning Surge

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

Varsho opened the seventh inning with a sharp single to right, and Clement drilled a two-base hit off the fence to put two on with no outs. Roberts had no option but to remove Ohtani, who exited to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not complete the escape.

Banda inherited the jam and immediately trailed in the count. Giménez battled to a full count before scoring the runner with a base hit to left field. Ty France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove Banda out of the contest. Blake Treinen entered next but also was unable to stem the rally: Bichette and Addison Barger punched RBI base hits through the diamond, completing a four-score barrage that extended the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Blue Jays's ability to withstand early blows and respond has defined their entire run. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order hitter who exited the third game after straining his right side.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what Toronto needed. Traded for mid-season while finishing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the former award-winning winner stranded multiple baserunners and silenced the Dodgers' potent lineup. He gave up one earned run on four base hits and three free passes before Schneider summoned first-year left-hander Mason Fluharty to face the core of the order in the sixth. Fluharty required just four pitches to get out Max Muncy and Edman, protecting a narrow advantage that soon grew comfortable.

Converted starter Chris Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' offense continued to struggle. The Dodgers have produced only 3 scores over their last 20 frames, an abrupt slowdown for a club that was among MLB's top lineups all year.

Final Moments

The Los Angeles scraped a score in the ninth inning when Edman hit into an out to score Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's double put runners aboard. But Louis Varland finished the game without permitting a rally to build.

Following a night when the Blue Jays stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and fell apart after repeated of missed chances, Game 4 was brutally efficient. 6 different Blue Jays recorded base hits, five brought home scores and the team converted almost every run-scoring chance available in the final innings.

Next Up

The victory ensures the championship trophy will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not won a championship since Joe Carter's iconic walk-off home run in 1993. They now know they are assured a packed crowd in Toronto on Friday night – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what happens next in LA.

The fifth game approaches with the series even and momentum swinging north. Los Angeles left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Blue Jays's momentum. Toronto respond with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Toronto knocked out Snell quickly in an decisive victory.