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Only 24 hours following staggering through one of the most exhausting defeats in World Series history, the Toronto Blue Jays played with complete command.

Guerrero crushed a two-run home run and Bieber provided a composed outing as the Blue Jays beat the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, tying the World Series at two wins apiece and ensuring the matchup will head back to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had spent the early hours of Tuesday dealing with their marathon third game defeat – equal to the longest World Series game ever – a loss that cost them the chance to lead the matchup and burned through both bullpens. Skipper John Schneider stated afterwards that “the Dodgers took a contest, not the World Series”. A day later, his squad provided convincing evidence.

Early Action

The Los Angeles again struck first. Max Muncy walked in the second, advanced on a single and scored on Hernández's fly out. But the initial score did not shake a Toronto team that led Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind wins this season.

They responded right away in the third inning. Lukes hit a one-out single to centre and Guerrero came to the plate looking for a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani threw a sweeper up and he drove it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his first extra-base hit of the series and his 7th home run this playoffs – a new club mark – restoring the Toronto's lead after 13 scoreless frames and shifting the tone of the night.

Shohei's Night

That hit also halted Shohei Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 straight plate appearances getting on base. The dual-threat star had smashed two homers and got on base a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 walk-off. But on that night, he started on limited rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the previous extra-inning game.

His pitch speed sat under his regular-season norm and he struggled more as the game wore on. Nonetheless, he displayed glimpses of his typical command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and fanning six. He even walked in the first to extend his World Series streak. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six base hits and four earned runs were credited to him in over six innings.

Late Game Surge

The bigger problem for the Dodgers was what followed when Ohtani eventually ran out of steam.

Varsho opened the seventh inning with a sharp single to right, and Ernie Clement drilled a double off the wall to put runners on with none out. Dave Roberts had little choice but to pull Ohtani, who exited to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Dodgers' relief corps could not finish the inning.

Banda inherited the jam and immediately fell behind. Andrés Giménez battled to a full count before scoring the runner with a single to left field. France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove the pitcher out of the game. Blake Treinen came in next but also failed to stop the momentum: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger hit run-scoring singles through the diamond, capping a four-score barrage that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Toronto's ability to withstand initial setbacks and answer has characterized their whole postseason. They once again succeeded without Springer, the hurt leadoff hitter who left the third game after tweaking his right side.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was everything the Blue Jays required. Acquired during the summer while completing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the ex- award-winning winner stranded multiple runners and quieted the Dodgers' potent lineup. He allowed one run on four base hits and three walks before Schneider summoned first-year left-hander Fluharty to confront the heart of the order in the sixth. Fluharty needed just four pitches to get out Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a fragile lead that quickly grew safe.

Former starter Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' offense continued to sputter. The Dodgers have scored only three scores over their last 20 innings, an abrupt downturn for a team that was among MLB's elite offenses all year.

Closing Moments

The Los Angeles managed a run in the ninth when Tommy Edman hit into an out to bring home Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's double put runners on base. But Louis Varland finished the game without allowing a comeback to build.

After a night when the Blue Jays stranded a World Series-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after repeated of wasted chances, the fourth contest was ruthlessly efficient. Six separate Toronto players collected base hits, 5 drove in runs and the squad cashed nearly every scoring opportunity presented in the late innings.

Next Up

The victory guarantees the World Series title will be presented at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not won a title since Carter's iconic game-winning homer in '93. They now are aware they are guaranteed a full crowd in Toronto on Friday night – and perhaps the next day – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game approaches with the matchup even and momentum shifting to Toronto. Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Blue Jays's surge. Toronto counter with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Toronto chased Snell early in an 11-4 victory.