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Less than a day after staggering through one of the most draining losses in World Series annals, the Blue Jays displayed complete control.

Guerrero crushed a two-run home run and Bieber delivered a steady start as Toronto beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, tying the Fall Classic at two games each and ensuring the matchup will return to Canada.

Toronto had passed the morning of Tuesday processing their marathon third game defeat – tied for the lengthiest World Series contest ever – a defeat that cost them the opportunity to lead the series and burned through both relief corps. Manager Schneider insisted later that “they won a game, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad offered convincing evidence.

Initial Action

The Los Angeles again scored first. Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, advanced on a single and scored on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial breakthrough did not shake a Toronto club that topped MLB with 49 come-from-behind wins this season.

They responded immediately in the third. Nathan Lukes lined a one away base hit to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate looking for a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani threw a sweeper up and he sent it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his first long hit of the series and his 7th homer this playoffs – a fresh club mark – regaining the Toronto's lead after 13 scoreless frames and shifting the tone of the night.

Shohei's Night

That hit also ended Shohei Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 consecutive plate appearances getting on base. The dual-threat star had smashed two home runs and got on base a record nine times in the Dodgers' third game walk-off. But on that night, he took the mound on short rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the previous marathon.

Ohtani fastball velocity sat below his regular-season average and he labored more as the game wore on. Even so, he showed flashes of his usual command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and fanning six. He even walked in the first to continue his World Series record. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six base hits and four earned runs were credited to him in over six innings.

Seventh Inning Surge

The larger problem for Los Angeles was what followed when Ohtani finally ran out of steam.

Varsho opened the seventh inning with a sharp single to right, and Ernie Clement drilled a double off the fence to put runners on with no outs. Dave Roberts had no option but to remove the starter, who exited to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not complete the escape.

Anthony Banda came into the mess and right away fell behind. Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before scoring Varsho with a single to left. France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove the pitcher out of the contest. Treinen came in next but also failed to stem the momentum: Bichette and Addison Barger punched run-scoring singles through the diamond, capping a four-run outburst that extended the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Blue Jays's ability to withstand early setbacks and respond has defined their entire postseason. They once again succeeded without Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order hitter who left the third game after straining his oblique.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was everything the Blue Jays needed. Traded for mid-season while finishing rehab from elbow surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner stranded several baserunners and quieted the Dodgers' dangerous batting order. He gave up one run on four base hits and three free passes before Schneider summoned rookie pitcher Mason Fluharty to confront the heart of the order in the sixth inning. He needed just 4 throws to retire Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a fragile lead that soon became safe.

Former starter Chris Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' bats kept to struggle. The Dodgers have scored only three runs over their previous 20 frames, an abrupt downturn for a club that ranked among baseball's top lineups all year.

Final Innings

The Dodgers scraped a score in the ninth when Tommy Edman hit into an out to score Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's double put runners aboard. But Louis Varland finished the game without allowing a comeback to build.

Following a night when Toronto left a World Series-record 19 runners and collapsed after repeated of missed opportunities, Game 4 was brutally effective. Six separate Blue Jays collected base hits, five drove in scores and the squad converted almost every scoring opportunity available in the final innings.

Looking Ahead

The win guarantees the championship trophy will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a championship since Carter's iconic walk-off home run in 1993. They now know they are guaranteed a full crowd in Toronto on Friday night – and possibly the next day – no matter what happens next in LA.

Game 5 approaches with the series even and energy shifting north. Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Blue Jays's surge. Toronto counter with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Toronto chased the starter quickly in an 11-4 win.