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

Guerrero crushed a two-run homer and Bieber delivered a composed start as Toronto defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, squaring the World Series at two wins apiece and ensuring the matchup will return to Canada.

Toronto had spent the morning of the next day processing their 18-inning Game 3 loss – tied for the longest World Series contest ever – a defeat that cost them the opportunity to take the lead in the series and burned through both bullpens. Skipper Schneider stated afterwards that “the Dodgers took a contest, not the World Series”. A day later, his squad offered emphatic evidence.

Initial Action

The Dodgers again struck first. Max Muncy walked in the second, moved up on a single and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the initial breakthrough did not shake a Blue Jays team that led Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind wins this season.

They answered right away in the third. Lukes hit a one-out single to centre and Guerrero came to the plate looking for a curveball. Shohei Ohtani left a sweeper up and he drove it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his initial extra-base hit of the series and his seventh homer this postseason – a new club record – restoring the Toronto's advantage after 13 shutout frames and changing the momentum of the night.

Shohei's Night

That hit also halted Shohei Ohtani's history-making run of 11 straight at-bats reaching base. The dual-threat star had smashed two home runs and reached safely a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' third game walk-off. But on that night, he started on short rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the prior marathon.

His pitch speed was under his seasonal average and he struggled more as the game wore on. Nonetheless, he showed flashes of his typical control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and striking out six. He even walked in the first inning to extend his World Series record. But the Blue Jays made him work: six hits and four earned runs were credited to him in six-plus frames.

Seventh Inning Surge

The bigger issue for Los Angeles was what followed when he finally ran out of steam.

Daulton Varsho started the seventh with a clean single to right, and Ernie Clement smashed a double off the fence to put runners on with no outs. Dave Roberts had no option but to remove Ohtani, who departed to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not complete the escape.

Anthony Banda inherited the jam and right away trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez battled to a full count before driving in the runner with a base hit to left. Ty France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove the pitcher out of the contest. Treinen entered next but also was unable to stop the rally: Bichette and Barger punched RBI base hits through the diamond, capping a four-score outburst that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Blue Jays's ability to withstand early blows and respond has characterized their whole run. They once again did it without Springer, the hurt leadoff hitter who exited Game 3 after tweaking his oblique.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what the Blue Jays required. Acquired during the summer while finishing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the ex- award-winning winner left several runners and silenced the Los Angeles' dangerous batting order. He allowed one run on four base hits and three free passes before the manager summoned first-year pitcher Fluharty to confront the heart of the order in the sixth inning. Fluharty required just four throws to get out Max Muncy and Edman, protecting a narrow lead that quickly grew comfortable.

Former starter Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' offense kept to sputter. Los Angeles have produced only 3 runs over their previous 20 frames, an abrupt downturn for a club that was among MLB's elite lineups all year.

Final Moments

The Dodgers scraped a score in the ninth when 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 permitting a rally to build.

After a night 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. Six different Toronto players recorded base hits, 5 brought home runs and the squad cashed nearly every scoring chance available in the final stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The win ensures the World Series title will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not won a championship since Carter's famous walk-off homer in 1993. They now know they are guaranteed a packed house in Toronto on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what occurs next in LA.

The fifth game looms with the matchup even and energy shifting north. Los Angeles left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Blue Jays's surge. Toronto counter with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Toronto knocked out the starter quickly in an decisive win.