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Only 24 hours after enduring one of the most exhausting losses in Fall Classic history, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed total control.

Guerrero smashed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber delivered a steady start as the Blue Jays defeated 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 head back to Toronto.

Toronto had spent the early hours of Tuesday processing their marathon Game 3 loss – equal to the longest World Series game ever – a loss that cost them the chance to take the lead in the matchup and burned through both bullpens. Skipper John Schneider stated afterwards that “they won a contest, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad provided convincing evidence.

Initial Innings

The Los Angeles again scored first. Muncy walked in the second inning, advanced on a single and scored on Hernández's fly out. But the early breakthrough did not rattle a Blue Jays club that topped Major League Baseball with 49 comeback wins this year.

They responded right away in the third. Lukes lined a one-out single to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in looking for a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani left a slider up and Guerrero sent it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his initial extra-base hit of the World Series and his 7th home run this playoffs – a new club mark – regaining the Toronto's advantage after 13 scoreless frames and shifting the momentum of the night.

Ohtani's Performance

That swing also halted Shohei Ohtani's history-making run of 11 consecutive at-bats getting on base. The dual-threat star had hit 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 recover from the previous marathon.

Ohtani pitch speed was under his regular-season norm and he labored more as the game wore on. Nonetheless, he displayed glimpses of his usual command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast 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 runs were charged to him in over six frames.

Late Game Rally

The larger issue for Los Angeles was what followed when Ohtani eventually ran out of steam.

Varsho opened the seventh inning with a sharp hit to right, and Clement drilled a double off the wall to put runners on with no outs. Roberts had no option but to remove the starter, who exited to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not complete the escape.

Anthony Banda inherited the mess and right away fell behind. Andrés Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before driving in the runner with a base hit to left field. France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock Banda out of the contest. Blake Treinen came in next but also was unable to stop the momentum: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger hit RBI base hits through the diamond, capping a four-run outburst that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Toronto's ability to absorb initial blows and respond has characterized their whole postseason. They once again did it without George Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order man who exited the third game after straining his right side.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what Toronto needed. Acquired during the summer while finishing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the former Cy Young winner stranded several runners and quieted the Dodgers' dangerous lineup. He allowed one earned run on four base hits and three free passes before Schneider summoned first-year left-hander Mason Fluharty to face the heart of the order in the sixth. Fluharty required just four pitches to get out Muncy and Edman, protecting a fragile lead that soon became comfortable.

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

Final Moments

The Dodgers scraped a run in the ninth when Edman hit into an out to score Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's double put runners on base. But Louis Varland closed it down without allowing a comeback to build.

Following a night when the Blue Jays left a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after wave upon wave of missed chances, the fourth contest was brutally efficient. 6 different Toronto players collected base hits, five brought home scores and the squad cashed almost every scoring chance available in the final innings.

Next Up

The win guarantees the championship trophy will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not won a title since Carter's famous walk-off homer in '93. They now are aware they are guaranteed a packed crowd in Toronto on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what occurs next in LA.

The fifth game approaches with the matchup even and energy swinging to Toronto. Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Blue Jays's surge. Toronto counter with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Blue Jays knocked out Snell early in an decisive victory.