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Less than a day after staggering through one of the most exhausting losses in World Series annals, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed complete control.

Guerrero crushed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber delivered a composed outing as Toronto beat the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, squaring the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the series will head back to Toronto.

Toronto had spent the early hours of the next day processing their 18-inning Game 3 loss – equal to the longest World Series contest ever – a loss that cost them the opportunity to take the lead in the matchup and depleted both relief corps. Manager John Schneider insisted afterwards that “they took a contest, not the World Series”. A day later, his team provided emphatic evidence.

Initial Action

The Dodgers again scored first. Muncy walked in the second, advanced on a base hit and scored on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early score did not rattle a Blue Jays club that topped Major League Baseball with 49 comeback victories this year.

They responded right away in the third inning. Nathan Lukes hit a one away base hit to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in hunting a breaking ball. Ohtani threw a sweeper up and he drove it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his first long hit of the series and his seventh homer this postseason – a new club record – restoring the Blue Jays's lead after 13 shutout frames and changing the momentum of the game.

Ohtani's Night

That hit also halted Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 straight at-bats getting on base. The two-way star had smashed two home runs and got on base a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 comeback win. But on that night, he took the mound on short rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the prior marathon.

His fastball velocity sat below his regular-season norm and he struggled more as the game wore on. Nonetheless, he displayed glimpses of his usual control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and fanning six. He even walked in the first inning to extend his World Series record. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six base hits and four runs were charged to him in over six frames.

Seventh Inning Rally

The bigger problem for Los Angeles was what came next when he finally lost steam.

Varsho opened the seventh inning with a clean single to right field, and Clement drilled a double off the fence to put two on with none out. Roberts had little choice but to remove Ohtani, who departed to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not finish the escape.

Anthony Banda came into the mess and right away fell behind. Giménez battled to a full count before driving in Varsho 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 game. Blake Treinen came in next but also failed to stop the rally: Bo Bichette and Barger punched RBI singles through the diamond, capping a four-score outburst that extended the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Blue Jays's ability to absorb initial setbacks and respond has defined their entire postseason. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the injured top-of-the-order hitter who exited Game 3 after tweaking his right side.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was everything the Blue Jays needed. Traded for mid-season while finishing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the ex- award-winning winner left multiple baserunners and quieted the Dodgers' dangerous batting order. He allowed one run on four base hits and three walks before Schneider summoned rookie left-hander Mason Fluharty to confront the core of the lineup in the sixth inning. Fluharty required just four throws to retire Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a narrow advantage that soon grew comfortable.

Former starter Chris Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' offense kept to struggle. The Dodgers have scored only three runs over their previous 20 frames, an sudden downturn for a team that was among baseball's top lineups all season.

Closing Innings

The Los Angeles managed a run in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman grounded out to score Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's two-base hit put runners aboard. But Varland finished the game without permitting a comeback to build.

After a game when the Blue Jays left a World Series-record 19 runners and fell apart after repeated of missed chances, the fourth contest was ruthlessly efficient. Six different Blue Jays recorded hits, five drove in scores and the squad cashed nearly every scoring opportunity presented in the final innings.

Looking Ahead

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

Game 5 approaches with the matchup reset and momentum shifting north. Dodgers left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Toronto's surge. Toronto counter with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Toronto chased Snell quickly in an 11-4 win.