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Less than a day after staggering through one of the most draining defeats in Fall Classic history, the Toronto Blue Jays played with complete control.

Guerrero smashed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber delivered a composed outing as Toronto beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, squaring the World Series at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had passed the early hours of Tuesday dealing with their 18-inning third game defeat – equal to the longest World Series game ever – a defeat that denied them the chance to take the lead in the matchup and burned through both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider insisted afterwards that “the Dodgers won a contest, not the World Series”. A day later, his squad offered emphatic evidence.

Early Action

The Dodgers again struck first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, moved up on a base hit and crossed the plate on Hernández's fly out. But the initial score did not rattle a Toronto team that led Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind wins this season.

They responded immediately in the third. Lukes lined a one-out single to centre and Guerrero came to the plate hunting a curveball. Shohei Ohtani left a sweeper up and Guerrero drove it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his first long hit of the series and his 7th home run this postseason – a fresh club record – regaining the Blue Jays's lead after 13 scoreless innings and changing the tone of the night.

Shohei's Performance

That swing also halted Shohei Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 straight plate appearances getting on base. The two-way star had hit two home runs and got on base a historic nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 walk-off. But on that night, he took the mound on short rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the previous marathon.

Ohtani pitch speed was below his seasonal norm and he labored more as the contest progressed. Even so, he displayed flashes of his typical command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and fanning six. He even walked in the first inning to continue his Fall Classic streak. But the Blue Jays made him work: six base hits and four earned runs were credited to him in over six innings.

Seventh Inning Surge

The larger issue for Los Angeles was what followed when Ohtani finally ran out of energy.

Varsho started the seventh with a sharp hit to right field, and Clement drilled a two-base hit off the wall to put runners on with none out. Roberts had little choice but to pull Ohtani, who exited to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not finish the escape.

Banda came into the mess and right away trailed in the count. Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before scoring Varsho with a base hit to left field. Ty France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove Banda out of the contest. Treinen entered next but also failed to stop the rally: Bo Bichette and Barger punched run-scoring singles through the infield, completing a four-run outburst that extended the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Toronto's ability to absorb initial blows and answer has characterized their entire run. They once again did it without Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order hitter who left the third game after straining his right side.

Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what the Blue Jays needed. Acquired mid-season while finishing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the former award-winning winner left multiple baserunners and quieted the Dodgers' potent batting order. He gave up one run on four base hits and three walks before Schneider called on first-year left-hander Mason Fluharty to face the core of the lineup in the sixth inning. He needed just 4 pitches to retire Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a narrow advantage that quickly grew comfortable.

Former starter Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' bats kept to struggle. Los Angeles have produced only three runs over their last 20 innings, an sudden downturn for a team that was among baseball's top lineups all season.

Final Moments

The Los Angeles scraped a run in the ninth when Tommy Edman hit into an out to score Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's two-base hit put two on base. But Varland closed it down without allowing a rally to build.

After a game when Toronto stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after wave upon wave of missed opportunities, the fourth contest was brutally efficient. 6 different Blue Jays collected hits, 5 drove in runs and the squad cashed nearly every scoring opportunity available in the final stanzas.

Next Up

The win ensures the World Series trophy will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a title since Carter's iconic walk-off homer in 1993. They now know they are guaranteed a full house in Canada on Friday night – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game looms with the series even and energy shifting to Toronto. Los Angeles pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Toronto's surge. The Blue Jays counter with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Blue Jays chased Snell early in an 11-4 victory.