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

Guerrero crushed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber delivered a composed outing as Toronto beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, squaring the World Series at two games each and ensuring the series will return to Canada.

The Blue Jays had passed the morning of the next day processing their marathon third game defeat – equal to the longest World Series contest ever – a loss that cost them the opportunity to take the lead in the series and burned through both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider insisted afterwards that “they took a game, not the championship”. A day later, his squad provided emphatic proof.

Initial Innings

The Los Angeles again struck first. Muncy drew a walk in the second, advanced on a base hit and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial score did not rattle a Toronto team that led Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind victories this year.

They answered immediately in the third inning. Nathan Lukes lined a one-out base hit to centre and Guerrero came to the plate looking for a curveball. Ohtani threw a sweeper up and Guerrero drove it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his initial long hit of the World Series and his 7th homer this playoffs – a fresh club record – regaining the Blue Jays's lead after 13 scoreless frames and shifting the tone of the game.

Ohtani's Performance

That swing also halted Shohei Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 consecutive at-bats getting on base. The dual-threat star had hit two home runs and reached safely a record nine times in the Los Angeles' third game walk-off. But on Tuesday, he started on short rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the previous extra-inning game.

His pitch speed sat below his regular-season norm and he labored more as the game wore on. Even so, he displayed flashes of his typical control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and fanning six. He even walked in the first to extend his Fall Classic streak. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six hits and four earned runs were charged to him in six-plus innings.

Seventh Inning Surge

The bigger problem for Los Angeles was what followed when Ohtani eventually ran out of energy.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh with a sharp hit to right field, and Clement smashed a two-base hit off the fence to put runners on with none out. Roberts had no option but to pull the starter, who exited to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Dodgers' bullpen could not complete the escape.

Banda came into the jam and right away fell behind. Andrés Giménez battled to a full count before scoring the runner with a base hit to left. Ty France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock the pitcher out of the game. Blake Treinen entered next but also failed to stop the momentum: Bo Bichette and Barger punched RBI singles through the diamond, capping a four-run outburst that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Blue Jays's capacity to withstand initial blows and respond has defined their whole postseason. They once again did it without George Springer, the injured top-of-the-order hitter who exited Game 3 after tweaking his right side.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what Toronto needed. Acquired mid-season while completing recovery from elbow surgery, the former Cy Young winner left several baserunners and quieted the Los Angeles' potent batting order. He allowed one earned run on four hits and three free passes before the manager called on rookie left-hander Mason Fluharty to face the heart of the order in the sixth inning. He needed just 4 throws to retire Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a narrow advantage that quickly became safe.

Former starter Chris Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' offense continued to struggle. The Dodgers have produced only 3 scores over their previous 20 frames, an abrupt downturn for a club that ranked among MLB's top offenses all season.

Final Innings

The Dodgers scraped a score in the ninth when Tommy Edman grounded out to score Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Muncy's double put two on base. But Louis Varland closed it down without allowing a comeback to develop.

After a night when Toronto left a World Series-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after repeated of missed opportunities, the fourth contest was brutally effective. 6 different Blue Jays collected base hits, 5 brought home runs and the squad converted nearly every run-scoring chance presented in the final stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The victory ensures the World Series trophy will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a championship since Carter's famous walk-off home run in '93. They now are aware they are assured a full crowd in Toronto on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game approaches with the series even and momentum shifting north. Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Toronto's surge. The Blue Jays respond with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Toronto chased Snell quickly in an decisive victory.