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

Guerrero smashed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber provided a steady start as the Blue Jays beat the Los Angeles 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 the next day processing their marathon third game defeat – equal to the longest Fall Classic game 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 provided emphatic evidence.

Initial Innings

The Dodgers again struck first. Muncy drew a walk in the second, advanced on a base hit and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the initial score did not shake a Blue Jays team that led MLB with 49 come-from-behind wins this year.

They responded immediately in the third. Nathan Lukes lined a one-out single to center field and Guerrero came to the plate hunting a breaking ball. Ohtani left a slider up and he sent it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his first long hit of the World Series and his seventh homer this playoffs – a fresh club mark – regaining the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 shutout innings and changing the tone of the game.

Ohtani's Night

That hit also ended Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 straight at-bats reaching base. The two-way phenomenon had hit two home runs and got on base a record nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 walk-off. But on that night, he took the mound on limited rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the previous marathon.

His fastball velocity sat under his seasonal average and he labored more as the game progressed. Nonetheless, he displayed glimpses of his usual control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and striking out six. He even walked in the first to extend his World Series record. But the Toronto made him work: six base hits and four earned runs were charged to him in over six frames.

Late Game Rally

The bigger problem for the Dodgers was what came next when Ohtani eventually ran out of energy.

Varsho opened the seventh inning with a sharp hit to right, and Ernie Clement smashed a double off the wall to put two on with none out. Dave Roberts had no option but to pull Ohtani, who exited to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Dodgers' bullpen could not finish the inning.

Anthony Banda came into the mess and immediately trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before scoring the runner with a base hit to left. 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 stem the momentum: Bichette and Addison Barger hit run-scoring base hits through the diamond, capping a four-score outburst that extended the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Blue Jays's capacity to absorb initial setbacks and answer has defined their whole postseason. They once again did it without George Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order hitter who exited Game 3 after tweaking his oblique.

Bieber, in contrast, was everything Toronto needed. Traded for during the summer while completing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the former Cy Young winner stranded several baserunners and silenced the Dodgers' dangerous lineup. He gave up one earned run on four base hits and three walks before Schneider called on first-year pitcher Mason Fluharty to face the heart of the lineup in the sixth. He needed just 4 pitches to retire Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a fragile advantage that soon became safe.

Converted starter Chris Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' offense continued to sputter. Los Angeles have produced only three runs over their previous 20 frames, an abrupt downturn for a club that was among MLB's elite lineups all season.

Closing Moments

The Dodgers managed a run in the ninth when Edman hit into an out to bring home Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's two-base hit put two aboard. But Varland closed it down without permitting a comeback to develop.

Following a night when Toronto left a World Series-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after repeated of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was ruthlessly efficient. Six different Toronto players collected base hits, five drove in scores and the team cashed nearly every scoring chance available in the late stanzas.

Next Up

The victory guarantees the championship title will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not won a championship since Joe Carter's iconic game-winning homer in '93. They now are aware they are guaranteed a packed crowd in Canada on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what occurs next in LA.

Game 5 approaches with the matchup even and energy swinging to Toronto. Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Toronto's momentum. The Blue Jays counter with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Blue Jays chased Snell quickly in an 11-4 victory.