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

Guerrero crushed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber provided a composed start as Toronto defeated the 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 series will return to Toronto.

Toronto had passed the early hours of Tuesday processing their 18-inning third game defeat – equal to the longest World Series game ever – a defeat that denied them the chance to take the lead in the matchup and depleted both relief corps. Skipper Schneider stated afterwards that “they won a game, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his team offered convincing evidence.

Initial Action

The Los Angeles again struck first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second, advanced on a base hit and crossed the plate on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial breakthrough did not rattle a Toronto team that topped Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind victories this year.

They responded immediately in the third inning. Lukes hit a one-out base hit to centre and Guerrero stepped in hunting a breaking ball. Ohtani threw a sweeper up and Guerrero drove it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his initial extra-base hit of the World Series and his seventh homer this playoffs – a new club record – restoring the Toronto's lead after 13 scoreless innings and changing the tone of the game.

Shohei's Night

That swing also ended Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 straight at-bats getting on base. The two-way star had hit two homers and reached safely a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' third game comeback win. But on that night, he started on short rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the prior marathon.

His fastball velocity sat under his seasonal average and he struggled more as the game wore on. Even so, he showed glimpses of his typical command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and fanning six. He even drew a walk 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.

Late Game Surge

The bigger problem for Los Angeles was what followed when he finally ran out of energy.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh inning with a sharp hit to right field, and Ernie Clement drilled a two-base hit off the fence to put runners on with none out. Dave Roberts had little choice but to pull Ohtani, who departed to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not finish the escape.

Banda came into the mess and immediately trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez battled to a full 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 the pitcher out of the game. Blake Treinen came in next but also was unable to stem the momentum: Bo Bichette and Barger hit RBI singles through the infield, completing a four-score outburst that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Toronto's capacity to withstand initial blows and respond has defined their entire postseason. They once again did it without George Springer, the injured top-of-the-order man who exited the third game after tweaking his oblique.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was everything Toronto needed. Traded for during the summer while completing recovery from elbow surgery, the former Cy Young winner stranded several baserunners and quieted the Los Angeles' dangerous lineup. He allowed one run on four hits and three free passes before the manager summoned rookie left-hander Mason Fluharty to face the core of the order in the sixth. He required just 4 pitches to retire Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a narrow lead that quickly became safe.

Former starter Chris Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' offense continued to sputter. The Dodgers have produced only 3 scores over their last 20 frames, an sudden downturn for a club that was among baseball's elite offenses all year.

Closing Innings

The Dodgers managed a run in the ninth inning when Edman grounded out to bring home Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's two-base hit put runners on base. But Varland closed it down without permitting a comeback to develop.

Following a game when the Blue Jays left a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and fell apart after wave upon wave of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was brutally effective. Six separate Toronto players recorded hits, five brought home scores and the team converted almost every run-scoring opportunity presented in the late stanzas.

Next Up

The win guarantees the championship trophy will be presented at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not won a title since Carter's famous walk-off homer in '93. They now know they are assured a packed crowd in Canada on Friday night – and perhaps the next day – no matter what occurs next in LA.

Game 5 looms with the series even and momentum shifting north. Dodgers left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Toronto's surge. The Blue Jays counter with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Toronto knocked out Snell quickly in an decisive win.