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Less than a day after enduring one of the most exhausting losses in World Series annals, the Blue Jays played with complete control.

Guerrero smashed a two-run homer and Bieber provided a steady outing as Toronto beat the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, tying the World Series at two games each and ensuring the matchup will return to Toronto.

Toronto had spent the early hours of the next day processing their 18-inning third game defeat – tied for the lengthiest Fall Classic game ever – a defeat that cost them the chance to take the lead in the matchup and depleted both relief corps. Manager John Schneider insisted later that “they took a game, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad provided emphatic evidence.

Initial Action

The Dodgers again struck first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, moved up on a single and scored on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early breakthrough did not shake a Blue Jays team that led MLB with 49 comeback wins this year.

They responded immediately in the third. Lukes lined a one-out single to center field and Guerrero came to the plate looking for a breaking ball. Ohtani threw a sweeper up and Guerrero drove it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his initial extra-base hit of the series and his 7th homer this playoffs – a new team record – restoring the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 scoreless innings and changing the momentum of the game.

Ohtani's Night

That swing also ended Shohei Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 consecutive plate appearances getting on base. The dual-threat phenomenon had hit two home runs and reached safely a record nine times in the Dodgers' third game walk-off. But on Tuesday, he started on short rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the prior marathon.

His fastball velocity was under his regular-season average and he struggled more as the game wore on. Even so, he displayed flashes of his typical control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to continue his World Series streak. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six base hits and four earned runs were credited to him in over six innings.

Late Game Surge

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

Varsho started the seventh with a sharp hit to right field, and Ernie Clement smashed a double off the fence to put two on with no outs. Dave Roberts had little choice but to pull Ohtani, who exited to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Dodgers' bullpen could not complete the inning.

Banda came into the jam and immediately trailed in the count. Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before driving in Varsho with a base hit to left field. Ty France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock the pitcher out of the game. Treinen came in next but also failed to stop the rally: Bichette and Addison Barger hit run-scoring base hits through the diamond, completing a four-score outburst that extended the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Toronto's ability to absorb early blows and respond has characterized their entire run. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the injured leadoff hitter who exited Game 3 after tweaking his right side.

Bieber, in contrast, was everything Toronto required. Acquired mid-season while completing recovery from elbow surgery, the ex- award-winning winner left multiple runners and quieted the Los Angeles' potent batting order. He gave up one earned run on four base hits and three walks before Schneider called on rookie pitcher Fluharty to face the heart of the order in the sixth. Fluharty needed just 4 pitches to retire Muncy and Edman, preserving a fragile lead that soon grew comfortable.

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

Final Innings

The Dodgers scraped a score in the ninth when Tommy Edman grounded out to score Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Muncy's two-base hit put runners on base. But Louis Varland finished the game without allowing a rally to develop.

After a game when the Blue Jays left a World Series-record 19 runners and fell apart after repeated of wasted chances, the fourth contest was ruthlessly efficient. 6 separate Toronto players recorded hits, five drove in runs and the squad cashed almost every run-scoring chance presented in the final stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The win ensures the championship trophy will be presented at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not celebrated a championship since Joe Carter's famous game-winning home run in 1993. They now are aware they are guaranteed a full house in Canada on Friday night – and possibly Saturday – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 approaches with the series even and energy swinging north. Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Blue Jays's surge. The Blue Jays counter with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Blue Jays knocked out the starter early in an 11-4 win.