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Less than a day after enduring one of the most exhausting defeats in World Series history, the Blue Jays played with complete command.

Guerrero crushed a two-run homer and Bieber delivered a steady outing as Toronto beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, tying the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the series will return to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had spent the morning of Tuesday processing their marathon Game 3 loss – equal to the lengthiest World Series contest ever – a loss that cost them the chance to take the lead in the series and burned through both relief corps. Manager Schneider stated later that “the Dodgers won a contest, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his team provided convincing evidence.

Early Action

The Los Angeles again struck first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, moved up on a single and scored on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the initial score did not shake a Blue Jays club that topped MLB with 49 comeback victories this year.

They responded immediately in the third inning. Nathan Lukes lined a one away base hit to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate looking for a curveball. Shohei Ohtani threw a slider up and he drove it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his initial long hit of the series and his 7th homer this playoffs – a fresh team mark – regaining the Blue Jays's lead after 13 scoreless innings and changing the tone of the game.

Shohei's Night

That swing also ended Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 consecutive at-bats getting on base. The two-way star had smashed two home runs and reached safely a record nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 comeback win. But on that night, he took the mound on limited rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the prior marathon.

Ohtani fastball velocity was under his seasonal norm and he struggled more as the contest wore on. Even so, he showed flashes of his typical control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and striking out six. He even walked in the first inning to continue his World Series streak. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six base hits and four earned runs were credited to him in six-plus frames.

Late Game Surge

The bigger issue for Los Angeles was what followed when Ohtani finally ran out of energy.

Daulton Varsho started the seventh with a sharp single to right, and Ernie Clement smashed a two-base hit off the wall to put two on with none out. Dave Roberts had little choice but to pull the starter, who exited to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Dodgers' bullpen could not finish the escape.

Anthony Banda came into the mess and right away trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez battled to a full count before scoring Varsho 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 the pitcher out of the game. Treinen came in next but also was unable to stop the rally: Bichette and Addison Barger punched run-scoring base hits through the diamond, capping a four-score outburst that extended the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Blue Jays's ability to absorb initial setbacks and answer has characterized their entire run. They once again did it without Springer, the hurt leadoff man who exited the third game after tweaking his right side.

Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what the Blue Jays needed. Acquired during the summer while completing rehab from elbow surgery, the ex- award-winning winner stranded multiple runners and silenced the Los Angeles' potent batting order. He gave up one earned run on four hits and three free passes before Schneider called on first-year pitcher Fluharty to face the core of the order in the sixth. Fluharty required just 4 throws to get out Max Muncy and Edman, preserving a narrow lead that quickly grew safe.

Former starting pitcher Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' offense kept to struggle. Los Angeles have produced only 3 scores over their previous 20 frames, an abrupt slowdown for a team that was among baseball's top lineups all season.

Closing Innings

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

Following a night when the Blue Jays stranded a World Series-record 19 runners and collapsed after wave upon wave of missed opportunities, the fourth contest was ruthlessly efficient. 6 different Toronto players recorded base hits, five drove in scores and the team converted nearly every scoring opportunity presented in the late stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The victory ensures the championship title will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not won a championship since Joe Carter's famous game-winning home run in '93. They now know they are assured a packed crowd in Toronto on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 approaches with the series reset and momentum swinging to Toronto. Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Blue Jays's surge. Toronto counter with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Toronto knocked out the starter quickly in an 11-4 win.