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Only 24 hours after enduring one of the most draining defeats in World Series annals, the Blue Jays played with complete control.

Guerrero smashed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber provided a composed start as the Blue Jays beat the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, squaring the Fall Classic at two games each and guaranteeing the series will return to Canada.

Toronto had passed the early hours of Tuesday processing their marathon third game defeat – equal to the longest World Series game ever – a loss that cost them the opportunity to lead the series and depleted both relief corps. Manager Schneider insisted later that “they took a game, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad provided emphatic proof.

Initial Innings

The Los Angeles again struck first. Muncy walked in the second, advanced on a base hit and scored on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial breakthrough did not rattle a Toronto team that topped MLB with 49 come-from-behind victories this year.

They responded immediately in the third. Nathan Lukes hit a one-out base hit to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in looking for a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani left a sweeper up and Guerrero sent it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his initial extra-base hit of the series and his 7th homer this postseason – a new team mark – regaining the Toronto's advantage after 13 scoreless frames and changing the tone of the night.

Shohei's Performance

That swing also halted Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 consecutive plate appearances getting on base. The two-way star had smashed two homers and reached safely a historic nine times in the Dodgers' third game comeback win. But on that night, he started on short rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the prior marathon.

Ohtani pitch speed was below his regular-season average and he labored more as the game progressed. Even so, he displayed glimpses of his typical command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to extend his Fall Classic streak. But the Blue Jays made him work: six base hits and four earned runs were credited to him in over six frames.

Seventh Inning Rally

The bigger issue for Los Angeles was what came next when Ohtani eventually lost steam.

Varsho started the seventh with a sharp single to right, and Ernie Clement smashed a double off the fence to put runners on with none out. Dave Roberts had no option but to remove the starter, who exited to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Dodgers' relief corps could not finish the inning.

Anthony Banda came into the mess and immediately fell behind. Andrés Giménez battled to a full count before driving in the runner with a single to left. France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove the pitcher out of the contest. Treinen came in next but also was unable to stop the momentum: Bichette and Barger hit RBI singles through the infield, completing a four-score barrage that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Blue Jays's capacity to withstand early setbacks and answer has defined their entire run. They once again succeeded without Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order man who left Game 3 after straining his right side.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what Toronto required. Traded for mid-season while completing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner left multiple baserunners and silenced the Los Angeles' potent batting order. He allowed one run on four hits and three walks before the manager called on rookie left-hander Mason Fluharty to face the core of the order in the sixth inning. He required just 4 throws to retire Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a narrow lead that quickly became safe.

Former starting pitcher Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' bats kept to sputter. Los Angeles have scored only 3 runs over their last 20 innings, an sudden slowdown for a club that was among baseball's elite offenses all season.

Closing Moments

The Los Angeles managed a run in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman grounded out to score Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's double put two on base. But Varland closed it down without permitting a rally to develop.

After a night when Toronto stranded a World Series-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after repeated of wasted chances, the fourth contest was brutally efficient. 6 different Blue Jays recorded hits, 5 brought home scores and the squad cashed nearly every run-scoring opportunity presented in the final innings.

Next Up

The win guarantees the championship trophy will be presented at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a championship since Carter's famous walk-off home run in 1993. They now know they are guaranteed a packed crowd in Canada on Friday night – and perhaps the next day – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game approaches with the matchup even and momentum swinging north. Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Toronto's momentum. Toronto counter with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Blue Jays chased Snell quickly in an 11-4 win.