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Only 24 hours following staggering through one of the most draining losses in World Series history, the Blue Jays played with total command.

Guerrero crushed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber delivered a steady outing as the Blue Jays beat 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 guaranteeing the matchup will return to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had passed the early hours of the next day processing their 18-inning Game 3 loss – tied for the lengthiest Fall Classic game ever – a loss that cost them the opportunity to take the lead in the series and depleted both bullpens. Manager John Schneider insisted afterwards that “the Dodgers took a contest, not the World Series”. A day later, his squad provided emphatic proof.

Early Action

The Dodgers again struck first. Muncy walked in the second, moved up on a base hit and scored on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the early breakthrough did not shake a Toronto team that topped MLB with 49 comeback wins this year.

They answered right away in the third inning. Nathan Lukes lined a one away base hit to center field and Guerrero came to the plate hunting a curveball. Ohtani threw a slider up and Guerrero drove it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his initial extra-base hit of the series and his seventh homer this postseason – a fresh club mark – restoring the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 scoreless frames and shifting the momentum of the night.

Ohtani's Night

That hit also ended Shohei Ohtani's history-making run of 11 straight plate appearances reaching base. The dual-threat star had hit two homers and got on base a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' third game comeback win. But on that night, he took the mound on limited rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the previous extra-inning game.

His pitch speed was under his regular-season norm and he labored more as the contest wore on. Even so, he displayed glimpses of his usual command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and striking out six. He even walked in the first to extend his Fall Classic record. But the Blue Jays made him work: six base hits and four earned runs were charged to him in over six innings.

Late Game Rally

The larger issue for Los Angeles was what followed when Ohtani eventually ran out of energy.

Varsho started the seventh with a sharp hit to right, and Ernie Clement drilled a double off the wall to put runners on with no outs. Roberts had no option but to pull the starter, who exited to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not complete the escape.

Banda inherited the jam and right away trailed in the count. Giménez battled to a full count before scoring the runner 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 enough to remove Banda out of the contest. Treinen came in next but also failed to stem the momentum: Bichette and Barger hit run-scoring base hits through the diamond, completing a four-run barrage that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Blue Jays's ability to absorb initial setbacks and answer has defined their entire run. They once again succeeded without Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order hitter who left the third game after tweaking his oblique.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what Toronto required. Traded for mid-season while finishing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the former Cy Young winner left several baserunners and quieted the Dodgers' potent lineup. He gave up one earned run on four hits and three free passes before the manager summoned rookie left-hander Mason Fluharty to face the heart of the lineup in the sixth inning. He needed just 4 pitches to get out Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a fragile advantage that soon grew safe.

Converted starter Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' offense continued to struggle. Los Angeles have produced only 3 scores over their last 20 frames, an abrupt slowdown for a club that ranked among MLB's elite offenses all year.

Final Innings

The Dodgers managed a run in the ninth when Edman grounded out to bring home 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 develop.

After a game when Toronto left a World Series-record 19 runners and collapsed after repeated of missed chances, Game 4 was brutally efficient. Six separate Toronto players collected base hits, 5 drove in runs and the team converted almost every scoring opportunity available in the final innings.

Looking Ahead

The victory ensures the World Series trophy will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a title since Joe Carter's iconic game-winning homer in '93. They now are aware they are guaranteed a packed crowd in Canada on Friday night – and possibly the next day – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game looms with the matchup reset and energy shifting to Toronto. Dodgers left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Toronto's momentum. Toronto respond with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Blue Jays chased the starter early in an 11-4 victory.