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Only 24 hours after enduring one of the most exhausting defeats in World Series history, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed complete command.

Guerrero crushed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber provided a steady outing as the Blue Jays beat the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, squaring the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the matchup will return to Canada.

Toronto had passed the early hours of the next day dealing with their marathon third game defeat – tied for the longest Fall Classic contest ever – a defeat that cost them the chance to take the lead in the matchup and depleted both bullpens. Manager Schneider stated later that “they won a contest, not the championship”. A day later, his team provided emphatic evidence.

Initial Action

The Los Angeles again scored 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 early score did not shake a Toronto club that led MLB with 49 comeback wins this season.

They responded right away in the third. Nathan Lukes lined a one away base hit to center field and Guerrero stepped in hunting a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani left a sweeper up and he drove it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his initial long hit of the series and his 7th homer this playoffs – a fresh team record – regaining the Blue Jays's lead after 13 shutout frames and changing the momentum of the night.

Ohtani's Night

That hit also ended Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 consecutive at-bats getting on base. The dual-threat star had hit two homers and got on base a historic nine times in the Dodgers' third game walk-off. But on Tuesday, he started on limited rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the previous marathon.

Ohtani pitch speed sat under his regular-season norm and he labored more as the contest wore on. Nonetheless, he showed glimpses of his usual control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and striking out six. He even walked in the first inning to extend his Fall Classic record. But the Blue Jays made him work: six hits and four earned runs were credited to him in over six innings.

Late Game Rally

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

Varsho started the seventh with a clean single to right, and Clement smashed a two-base hit off the fence to put two on with none out. Roberts had no option but to remove the starter, who exited to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Dodgers' relief corps could not complete the escape.

Banda inherited the jam and right away fell behind. Andrés Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before driving in Varsho with a single to left. Ty France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock Banda out of the game. Treinen came in next but also failed to stop the rally: Bo Bichette and Barger hit run-scoring base hits through the infield, capping a four-score outburst that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Toronto's capacity to withstand early setbacks and answer has characterized their entire postseason. They once again succeeded without Springer, the injured top-of-the-order hitter who exited the third game after tweaking his oblique.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what Toronto needed. Acquired during the summer while completing recovery from elbow surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner stranded several baserunners and silenced the Los Angeles' potent lineup. He gave up one run on four base hits and three free passes before Schneider called on first-year left-hander Mason Fluharty to confront the core of the order in the sixth. Fluharty needed just 4 pitches to get out Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a fragile advantage that quickly grew safe.

Converted starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' offense continued to sputter. Los Angeles have produced only 3 runs over their last 20 frames, an abrupt slowdown for a club that ranked among MLB's elite offenses all season.

Closing Moments

The Dodgers managed a score in the ninth inning when Edman hit into an out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Muncy's two-base hit put two aboard. But Varland finished the game without permitting a rally to build.

After a night when Toronto left a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after repeated of missed chances, Game 4 was ruthlessly effective. 6 separate Toronto players recorded hits, five brought home runs and the squad cashed nearly every scoring opportunity available in the late stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The victory guarantees the World Series title will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not celebrated a title since Joe Carter's famous walk-off homer in 1993. They now know they are guaranteed a full house in Toronto on Friday evening – and possibly Saturday – no matter what happens next in LA.

Game 5 approaches with the series reset and momentum shifting north. Los Angeles left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Toronto's surge. The Blue Jays respond with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Toronto chased Snell quickly in an 11-4 victory.