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Only 24 hours after staggering through one of the most exhausting losses in Fall Classic history, the Blue Jays played with total command.

Guerrero smashed a two-run home run and Bieber delivered a steady outing as Toronto defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, tying the Fall Classic at two games each and guaranteeing the series will return to Toronto.

Toronto had spent the early hours of the next day processing their marathon Game 3 loss – tied for the lengthiest Fall Classic game ever – a loss that denied them the opportunity to lead the matchup and burned through both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider stated later that “they won a contest, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his team provided convincing evidence.

Initial Innings

The Los Angeles again scored first. Max Muncy walked in the second inning, moved up on a base hit and scored on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the early score did not rattle a Toronto club that topped MLB with 49 comeback victories this season.

They responded right away in the third. Lukes lined a one away base hit to center field and Guerrero stepped in hunting a curveball. Shohei Ohtani threw a slider up and Guerrero sent it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his first extra-base hit of the World Series and his 7th home run this postseason – a new club mark – regaining the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 scoreless frames and changing the tone of the game.

Ohtani's Performance

That hit also halted Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 straight plate appearances reaching base. The two-way star had smashed two homers and reached safely a record 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 prior marathon.

Ohtani fastball velocity was under his seasonal average and he struggled more as the contest wore on. Nonetheless, he showed glimpses of his usual command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to extend his World Series record. But the Toronto made him work: six base hits and four earned runs were charged to him in over six innings.

Seventh Inning Rally

The bigger problem for Los Angeles was what came next when Ohtani finally ran out of energy.

Daulton Varsho started the seventh with a sharp single to right field, and Ernie Clement drilled a two-base hit off the wall to put two 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' bullpen could not finish the inning.

Banda came into the mess and immediately fell behind. Giménez fought to a full count before scoring Varsho with a single to left field. Ty France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove the pitcher out of the game. Treinen came in next but also failed to stop the momentum: Bichette and Addison Barger hit run-scoring singles through the diamond, capping a four-run barrage that extended the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Toronto's ability to withstand early setbacks and respond has defined their entire postseason. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the injured leadoff man who exited Game 3 after straining his right side.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was everything Toronto required. Acquired mid-season while completing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the ex- award-winning winner left several baserunners and quieted the Los Angeles' potent batting order. He allowed one earned run on four hits and three walks before Schneider summoned rookie left-hander Fluharty to face the core of the lineup in the sixth inning. He needed just 4 pitches to retire Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a narrow lead that quickly grew safe.

Former starter Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' offense continued to struggle. The Dodgers have scored only three runs over their previous 20 innings, an sudden slowdown for a team that ranked among baseball's elite offenses all year.

Final Innings

The Dodgers managed a score in the ninth when Tommy Edman grounded out to score Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's two-base hit put two aboard. But Varland closed it down without permitting a rally to develop.

After a night when Toronto stranded a World Series-record 19 runners and fell apart after wave upon wave of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was ruthlessly efficient. 6 separate Blue Jays recorded base hits, five brought home runs and the squad converted almost every run-scoring chance available in the final innings.

Next Up

The win guarantees the World Series title will be presented at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not won a title since Joe Carter's iconic game-winning homer in 1993. They now know they are assured a packed house in Canada on Friday night – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game approaches with the matchup reset and momentum swinging to Toronto. Los Angeles pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Blue Jays's momentum. The Blue Jays counter with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Blue Jays knocked out the starter quickly in an 11-4 victory.