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Less than a day following enduring one of the most exhausting losses in Fall Classic history, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed total control.

Guerrero crushed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber provided a composed outing as Toronto beat the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, tying the World Series at two wins apiece and ensuring the matchup will return to Canada.

The Blue Jays had passed the morning of the next day processing their 18-inning third game defeat – tied for the lengthiest World Series contest ever – a defeat that denied them the opportunity to lead the matchup and depleted both bullpens. Manager Schneider stated afterwards that “the Dodgers won a contest, not the championship”. A day later, his squad provided convincing evidence.

Early Action

The Dodgers again scored first. Max Muncy walked in the second, moved up on a single and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the early breakthrough did not shake a Blue Jays club that topped Major League Baseball with 49 comeback victories this year.

They answered immediately in the third inning. Nathan Lukes hit a one-out single to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate hunting a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani threw a sweeper up and Guerrero drove it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his initial extra-base hit of the World Series and his seventh home run this postseason – a fresh team record – regaining the Blue Jays's lead after 13 shutout innings and shifting the momentum of the game.

Ohtani's Performance

That hit also halted Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 consecutive at-bats reaching base. The two-way phenomenon had smashed two homers and got on base a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 comeback win. But on that night, he started on short rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the prior extra-inning game.

His pitch speed sat under his seasonal average and he struggled more as the contest wore on. Nonetheless, he showed glimpses of his typical control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and fanning six. He even walked in the first to continue his World Series record. But the Toronto made him work: six hits and four runs were charged to him in over six frames.

Seventh Inning Surge

The bigger issue for the Dodgers was what came next when Ohtani finally ran out of energy.

Varsho started the seventh inning with a clean hit to right field, and Clement smashed a two-base hit off the fence to put two on with no outs. Roberts had no option but to pull Ohtani, who exited to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Dodgers' relief corps could not finish the inning.

Anthony Banda came into the jam and immediately fell behind. Andrés Giménez fought to a full count before driving in Varsho with a single to left field. Ty 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 stem the rally: Bichette and Barger punched run-scoring singles through the infield, completing a four-score outburst that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Toronto's ability to withstand initial blows and respond has characterized their entire postseason. They once again did it without Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order hitter who left the third game after tweaking his oblique.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what the Blue Jays needed. Acquired mid-season while completing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner stranded several runners and quieted the Los Angeles' dangerous batting order. He allowed one run on four base hits and three free passes before Schneider summoned first-year pitcher Mason Fluharty to confront the core of the lineup in the sixth inning. Fluharty needed just 4 throws to get out Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a narrow lead that soon grew comfortable.

Converted starter Chris Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' offense continued to sputter. Los Angeles have scored only three runs over their last 20 innings, an sudden downturn for a team that was among MLB's top lineups all year.

Closing Moments

The Los Angeles scraped a score in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman hit into an out to score Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's double put two aboard. But Varland closed it down without allowing a comeback to build.

Following a night when the Blue Jays left a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and collapsed after repeated of missed chances, Game 4 was brutally effective. Six different Toronto players recorded base hits, 5 drove in runs and the squad converted nearly every scoring chance available in the final stanzas.

Next Up

The win ensures the World Series title will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not won a championship since Carter's famous walk-off homer in 1993. They now know they are assured a packed crowd in Canada on Friday night – and possibly Saturday – no matter what occurs next in LA.

The fifth game approaches with the matchup even and momentum shifting north. Los Angeles left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Blue Jays's surge. Toronto respond with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Blue Jays chased Snell quickly in an decisive win.