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Only 24 hours following staggering through one of the most exhausting losses in Fall Classic annals, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed complete command.

Guerrero smashed a two-run home run and Bieber provided a steady outing as the Blue Jays defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, squaring the Fall Classic at two games each and ensuring the series will head back to Canada.

Toronto had spent the morning of the next day dealing with their marathon third game defeat – equal to the lengthiest Fall Classic game ever – a loss that cost them the chance to lead the series and depleted both relief corps. Manager Schneider insisted later that “the Dodgers took a contest, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad offered convincing proof.

Initial Action

The Los Angeles again struck first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, advanced on a base hit and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the early breakthrough did not rattle a Toronto team that led MLB with 49 come-from-behind wins this season.

They responded immediately in the third. Lukes lined a one-out base hit to centre and Guerrero stepped in hunting a curveball. Ohtani threw a slider up and he drove it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his first long hit of the World Series and his 7th homer this playoffs – a fresh team mark – regaining the Toronto's advantage after 13 shutout innings and changing the tone of the game.

Ohtani's Performance

That hit also halted Shohei Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 consecutive plate appearances reaching base. The two-way phenomenon 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 limited rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the previous extra-inning game.

Ohtani pitch speed was under his regular-season average and he struggled more as the contest wore on. Nonetheless, he displayed flashes of his typical control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and striking out six. He even walked in the first to continue his World Series record. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six hits and four runs were charged to him in over six innings.

Late Game Surge

The bigger issue for Los Angeles was what came next when he finally ran out of steam.

Daulton Varsho started the seventh inning with a clean single to right, and Ernie Clement drilled a two-base hit off the wall to put runners on with no outs. Roberts had no option but to pull the starter, who departed to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Dodgers' relief corps could not complete the inning.

Banda inherited the mess and immediately trailed in the count. Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before scoring Varsho with a single to left. Ty France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock the pitcher out of the contest. Treinen entered next but also failed to stop the momentum: Bo Bichette and Barger hit RBI base hits through the infield, capping a four-score outburst that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Blue Jays's capacity to withstand initial blows and answer has defined their entire run. They once again did it without George Springer, the hurt leadoff man who left the third game after straining his oblique.

Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what Toronto needed. Acquired mid-season while finishing recovery from elbow surgery, the ex- award-winning winner stranded several baserunners and silenced the Dodgers' potent lineup. He gave up one earned run on four hits and three walks before Schneider called on rookie pitcher Fluharty to confront the heart of the order in the sixth. He needed just 4 pitches to get out Max Muncy and Edman, preserving a fragile lead that soon grew safe.

Former starter Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' bats continued to sputter. The Dodgers have scored only 3 scores over their previous 20 innings, an sudden downturn for a club that ranked among baseball's elite lineups all year.

Final Innings

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

Following a game when Toronto left a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after wave upon wave of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was brutally efficient. 6 different Toronto players recorded base hits, 5 drove in scores and the squad converted almost every scoring opportunity presented in the late innings.

Looking Ahead

The victory ensures the World Series trophy will be presented at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not won a championship since Joe Carter's famous game-winning home run in '93. They now are aware they are guaranteed a packed house in Toronto on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game approaches with the series even and momentum shifting north. Los Angeles pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Toronto's momentum. The Blue Jays respond with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Blue Jays knocked out Snell quickly in an 11-4 victory.