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Less than a day following enduring one of the most exhausting losses in Fall Classic annals, the Blue Jays played with total command.

Guerrero crushed a two-run homer and Bieber delivered a steady start as the Blue Jays beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, squaring the World Series at two games each and guaranteeing the matchup will return to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had spent the early hours of Tuesday processing their 18-inning third game defeat – equal to the longest World Series contest ever – a loss that cost them the chance to take the lead in the matchup and depleted both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider insisted later that “the Dodgers won a game, not the championship”. A day later, his squad offered convincing evidence.

Initial Action

The Dodgers again struck first. Muncy walked in the second inning, moved up on a base hit and scored on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early breakthrough did not rattle a Blue Jays team that led MLB with 49 come-from-behind victories this season.

They responded right away in the third inning. Lukes lined a one away single to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate looking for a curveball. Ohtani left a sweeper up and he drove it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his initial long hit of the World Series and his 7th home run this playoffs – a fresh club record – restoring the Toronto's advantage after 13 shutout innings and changing the momentum of the night.

Ohtani's Night

That hit also halted Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 consecutive at-bats getting on base. The dual-threat phenomenon had smashed two homers and reached safely a record nine times in the Los Angeles' third game walk-off. But on that night, he started on short rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the prior extra-inning game.

Ohtani fastball velocity sat below his seasonal norm and he labored more as the game wore on. Nonetheless, he displayed flashes of his usual command, 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 record. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six hits and four runs were credited to him in six-plus frames.

Seventh Inning Surge

The larger issue for the Dodgers was what came next when he eventually lost energy.

Daulton Varsho started the seventh with a sharp single to right, and Clement smashed a two-base hit off the wall to put runners on with none out. Roberts had little choice but to pull the starter, who departed to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Dodgers' relief corps could not complete the escape.

Anthony Banda came into the mess and right away trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before driving in the runner with a single to left field. Ty France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock Banda out of the contest. Treinen came in next but also failed to stop the rally: Bichette and Addison Barger punched run-scoring singles through the diamond, capping a four-score barrage that extended the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Blue Jays's capacity to withstand early setbacks and respond has defined their entire postseason. They once again did it without George Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order hitter who left the third game after straining his right side.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was everything Toronto needed. Acquired mid-season while completing recovery from elbow surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner stranded multiple baserunners and silenced the Dodgers' dangerous batting order. He allowed one earned run on four 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 4 pitches to get out Muncy and Edman, protecting a fragile lead that quickly became safe.

Converted starting pitcher Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' offense kept to sputter. The Dodgers have scored only three runs over their previous 20 innings, an sudden downturn for a club that ranked among MLB's elite lineups all season.

Closing Moments

The Dodgers managed a run in the ninth inning when Edman grounded out to score Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's two-base hit put two aboard. But Louis Varland closed it down without allowing a rally to build.

Following a game when the Blue Jays stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and fell apart after repeated of wasted chances, the fourth contest was brutally effective. 6 different Blue Jays recorded hits, 5 brought home runs and the team cashed nearly every scoring opportunity available in the late stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The win ensures the championship title will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a title since Joe Carter's iconic game-winning homer in 1993. They now know they are assured a full house in Toronto on Friday evening – and possibly the next day – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game approaches with the series reset and energy swinging to Toronto. Dodgers left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Blue Jays's momentum. Toronto respond with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Toronto knocked out the starter quickly in an decisive win.