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Less than a day after staggering through one of the most exhausting losses in World Series annals, the Toronto Blue Jays played with total command.

Guerrero smashed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber provided 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.

Toronto had spent the early hours of Tuesday dealing with their 18-inning third game defeat – tied for the lengthiest Fall Classic game ever – a loss that denied them the opportunity to lead the series and burned through both relief corps. Skipper Schneider stated afterwards that “the Dodgers took a contest, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad provided emphatic proof.

Early Innings

The Los Angeles again scored first. Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, advanced on a base hit and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the initial score did not shake a Blue Jays club that led Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind victories this season.

They responded right away in the third inning. Lukes lined a one away base hit to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in looking for a curveball. Ohtani threw a sweeper up and he drove it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his first long hit of the series and his 7th home run this postseason – a new club mark – regaining the Toronto's advantage after 13 shutout frames and changing the tone of the night.

Ohtani's Performance

That hit also halted Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 consecutive at-bats reaching base. The two-way star had smashed two home runs and got on base a record nine times in the Dodgers' 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 regular-season norm and he struggled more as the contest progressed. Even so, he displayed flashes of his usual command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to continue his World Series record. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six hits and four earned runs were credited to him in over six innings.

Late Game Rally

The larger problem for the Dodgers was what followed when Ohtani eventually lost energy.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh inning with a clean hit 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 the starter, who departed to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Dodgers' bullpen could not finish the inning.

Banda inherited the mess and right away fell behind. Andrés Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before driving in Varsho with a base hit to left. France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove the pitcher out of the game. Blake Treinen came in next but also was unable to stop the momentum: Bichette and Addison Barger punched run-scoring singles through the infield, completing a four-run outburst that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Blue Jays's capacity to withstand early setbacks and answer has characterized their entire postseason. They once again did it without George Springer, the hurt leadoff hitter who exited the third game after tweaking his right side.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what Toronto required. Acquired mid-season while completing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the former Cy Young winner left multiple runners and quieted the Dodgers' potent batting order. He allowed one run on four base hits and three free passes before the manager called on first-year left-hander Mason Fluharty to confront the core of the order in the sixth inning. He required just four throws to get out Max Muncy and Edman, protecting a fragile advantage that quickly became safe.

Former starting pitcher Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' offense continued to struggle. The Dodgers have produced only 3 runs over their previous 20 innings, an sudden downturn for a club that ranked among MLB's elite offenses all season.

Closing Innings

The Los Angeles managed a score in the ninth when Tommy Edman grounded out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's double put two on base. But Louis Varland finished the game without allowing a rally to build.

After a game when the Blue Jays left a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after repeated of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was ruthlessly efficient. 6 separate Blue Jays recorded base hits, five brought home runs and the squad cashed nearly every run-scoring opportunity presented in the final stanzas.

Next Up

The win ensures the World Series trophy will be presented at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not celebrated a championship since Joe Carter's famous walk-off homer in 1993. They now are aware they are guaranteed a full crowd in Toronto on Friday evening – and perhaps the next day – no matter what occurs next in LA.

Game 5 approaches with the matchup reset and momentum shifting north. Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Blue Jays's surge. Toronto respond with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Blue Jays knocked out the starter quickly in an decisive win.