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Less than a day following enduring one of the most draining defeats in World Series history, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed complete control.

Guerrero crushed a two-run home run and Bieber provided a steady start as the Blue Jays defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, tying the World Series at two games each and ensuring the series will return to Toronto.

Toronto had passed the morning of the next day dealing with their 18-inning Game 3 loss – tied for the lengthiest Fall Classic contest ever – a loss that denied them the chance to take the lead in the matchup and burned through both bullpens. Manager John Schneider insisted later that “they won a contest, not the World Series”. A day later, his team offered convincing evidence.

Early Action

The Dodgers again struck first. Muncy walked in the second inning, moved up on a single and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the early score did not rattle a Toronto club that led MLB with 49 come-from-behind wins this season.

They responded right away in the third. Nathan Lukes hit a one-out single to center field and Guerrero came to the plate hunting a curveball. Ohtani threw a sweeper up and he sent it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his initial extra-base hit of the World Series and his 7th homer this playoffs – a new team mark – regaining the Toronto's advantage after 13 shutout frames and changing the momentum of the game.

Shohei's Night

That hit also halted Shohei Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 straight plate appearances reaching base. The two-way star had hit two homers and got on base a record nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 comeback win. But on Tuesday, he started on limited rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the previous marathon.

His pitch speed was below his regular-season average and he labored more as the game progressed. Nonetheless, he showed glimpses of his typical 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 record. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six hits and four runs were charged to him in six-plus frames.

Late Game Surge

The bigger issue for Los Angeles was what followed when Ohtani eventually lost energy.

Daulton Varsho started the seventh inning with a sharp hit to right, and Clement smashed a double off the wall to put runners on with no outs. Dave Roberts had no option but to remove Ohtani, who departed to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Dodgers' bullpen could not finish the inning.

Anthony Banda inherited the jam and immediately trailed in the count. Giménez battled to a 3-2 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 sufficient to remove Banda out of the game. Treinen came in next but also failed to stem the rally: Bichette and Barger hit run-scoring base hits through the infield, capping a four-score barrage that extended the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Blue Jays's capacity to withstand initial blows and answer has defined their entire postseason. They once again did it without George Springer, the injured top-of-the-order hitter who exited Game 3 after tweaking his right side.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was everything the Blue Jays required. Traded for mid-season while finishing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the ex- award-winning winner stranded several runners and quieted the Los Angeles' dangerous lineup. He allowed one earned run on four base hits and three walks before Schneider called on first-year left-hander Fluharty to face the heart of the order in the sixth inning. He required just 4 throws to retire Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a fragile lead that quickly became comfortable.

Converted starting pitcher Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' bats continued to sputter. The Dodgers have produced only three scores over their last 20 frames, an sudden downturn for a club that ranked among MLB's elite offenses all season.

Closing Innings

The Los Angeles scraped a run in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman grounded out to score Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's two-base hit put two aboard. But Louis Varland finished the game without permitting a comeback to build.

After a game when Toronto stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after wave upon wave of wasted chances, the fourth contest was ruthlessly efficient. 6 separate Blue Jays recorded base hits, five brought home scores and the squad converted nearly every scoring chance presented in the late innings.

Next Up

The win ensures the championship trophy will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a championship since Carter's famous game-winning homer in '93. They now are aware they are assured a full house in Canada on Friday night – and possibly Saturday – no matter what occurs next in LA.

The fifth game looms with the series even and energy swinging to Toronto. Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Toronto's surge. Toronto respond with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Toronto chased Snell quickly in an 11-4 victory.