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Only 24 hours after staggering through one of the most draining defeats in Fall Classic history, the Blue Jays displayed complete command.

Guerrero smashed a two-run homer and Bieber provided a steady start as Toronto defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, squaring the World Series at two games each and guaranteeing the series will return to Canada.

The Blue Jays had passed the morning of Tuesday processing their marathon Game 3 loss – equal to the longest Fall Classic game ever – a loss that denied them the opportunity to lead the matchup and depleted both relief corps. Manager John Schneider stated afterwards that “the Dodgers took a contest, not the championship”. A day later, his team offered convincing proof.

Early Innings

The Dodgers again scored first. Muncy drew a walk in the second, moved up on a base hit and scored on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the early breakthrough did not rattle a Blue Jays team that led Major League Baseball with 49 comeback victories this year.

They answered immediately in the third. Nathan Lukes lined a one away single to centre and Guerrero came to the plate looking for a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani threw a sweeper up and he drove it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his first extra-base hit of the series and his seventh home run this postseason – a fresh club mark – restoring the Blue Jays's lead after 13 scoreless innings and shifting the tone of the night.

Shohei's Night

That swing also halted Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 consecutive plate appearances getting on base. The dual-threat star had hit 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 limited rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the prior marathon.

Ohtani fastball velocity sat under his seasonal norm and he labored more as the contest wore on. Even so, he displayed flashes of his usual command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to extend his World Series streak. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six hits and four earned runs were credited to him in six-plus frames.

Seventh Inning Rally

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

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh inning with a sharp hit to right, and Ernie Clement smashed a two-base hit off the fence to put two on with none out. Dave Roberts had little choice but to pull Ohtani, who exited to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Dodgers' relief corps could not complete the inning.

Anthony Banda came into the jam and immediately trailed in the count. Giménez fought to a full count before driving in Varsho with a single to left. Ty France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock the pitcher out of the contest. Treinen came in next but also failed to stop the momentum: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger hit RBI base hits through the infield, capping a four-score outburst that extended the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Blue Jays's ability to absorb initial setbacks and answer has characterized their entire postseason. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the hurt leadoff man who exited the third game after straining his right side.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what Toronto required. Acquired during the summer while finishing rehab from elbow surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner stranded multiple runners and quieted the Los Angeles' potent batting order. He gave up one earned run on four hits and three walks before Schneider called on first-year pitcher Fluharty to face the heart of the order in the sixth inning. He required just 4 throws to get out Max Muncy and Edman, preserving a narrow advantage that quickly became comfortable.

Converted starter Chris Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' bats kept to sputter. Los Angeles have scored only 3 scores over their previous 20 innings, an sudden downturn for a team that ranked among MLB's top offenses all season.

Final Innings

The Los Angeles managed a run in the ninth when Edman grounded out to score Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's two-base hit put runners on base. But Louis Varland closed it down without permitting a rally to build.

After a game when the Blue Jays stranded a World Series-record 19 runners and collapsed after repeated of missed chances, the fourth contest was brutally effective. Six separate Toronto players recorded base hits, five brought home runs and the squad cashed almost every scoring chance presented in the final stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The victory ensures the World Series trophy will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not celebrated a title since Joe Carter's famous game-winning homer in '93. They now are aware they are assured a packed crowd in Canada on Friday evening – and possibly Saturday – no matter what occurs next in LA.

The fifth game approaches with the matchup reset and energy shifting to Toronto. Los Angeles pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Blue Jays's momentum. Toronto counter with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Blue Jays chased Snell quickly in an 11-4 victory.