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Only 24 hours following staggering through one of the most draining defeats in World Series annals, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed complete command.

Guerrero smashed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber provided a steady start as Toronto defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, tying the Fall Classic at two games each and guaranteeing the series will head back to Canada.

Toronto had passed the early hours of the next day dealing with their marathon Game 3 loss – tied for the lengthiest Fall Classic contest ever – a defeat that denied them the opportunity to take the lead in the series and depleted both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider insisted afterwards that “the Dodgers won a game, not the World Series”. A day later, his team provided emphatic proof.

Initial Action

The Dodgers again scored first. Muncy walked in the second inning, advanced on a single and scored on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the initial breakthrough did not shake a Blue Jays club that topped MLB with 49 comeback victories this season.

They answered immediately in the third inning. Nathan Lukes hit a one-out base hit to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate hunting a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani left a slider up and Guerrero sent it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his first long hit of the World Series and his 7th home run this postseason – a fresh team mark – regaining the Blue Jays's lead after 13 shutout innings and changing the tone of the game.

Ohtani's Night

That swing also ended Shohei Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 consecutive plate appearances getting on base. The dual-threat phenomenon had smashed two homers 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 shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the prior extra-inning game.

Ohtani pitch speed sat under his regular-season average and he struggled more as the game wore on. Nonetheless, he displayed glimpses of his typical control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to continue his World Series streak. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six base hits and four earned runs were credited to him in six-plus innings.

Seventh Inning Rally

The larger issue for Los Angeles was what followed when he eventually ran out of steam.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh inning with a clean single to right, and Ernie Clement drilled a two-base hit off the fence to put two on with none out. 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 inherited the mess and right away trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before driving in the runner with a base hit to left field. France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove Banda out of the contest. Blake Treinen came in next but also failed to stem the momentum: Bichette and Barger punched RBI base hits through the diamond, capping a four-score barrage that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Blue Jays's capacity to absorb early setbacks and respond has characterized their whole postseason. They once again did it without Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order man who left Game 3 after tweaking his oblique.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what the Blue Jays required. Traded for during the summer while completing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the former Cy Young winner stranded several baserunners and quieted the Dodgers' dangerous lineup. He allowed one earned run on four 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 required just 4 pitches to retire Max Muncy and Edman, preserving a narrow advantage that soon became comfortable.

Converted starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' bats continued to struggle. Los Angeles have produced only three runs over their last 20 innings, an abrupt slowdown for a club that ranked among MLB's elite offenses all year.

Closing Innings

The Los Angeles managed a run in the ninth inning when Edman grounded out to score Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's two-base hit put two on base. But Varland finished the game without allowing a rally to develop.

After a game when Toronto left a World Series-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after wave upon wave of wasted chances, the fourth contest was brutally efficient. 6 separate Toronto players collected base hits, five drove in scores and the squad converted nearly every run-scoring opportunity available in the final innings.

Next Up

The victory ensures the World Series trophy will be presented at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a championship since Carter's iconic game-winning homer in '93. They now are aware they are assured a full house in Toronto on Friday night – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what occurs next in LA.

Game 5 approaches with the series reset and energy swinging north. Los Angeles pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Toronto's momentum. The Blue Jays counter with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Blue Jays chased Snell quickly in an 11-4 win.