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Only 24 hours after staggering through one of the most exhausting losses in World Series annals, the Blue Jays played with total command.

Guerrero crushed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber provided a composed outing as the Blue Jays defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, tying the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and ensuring the series will head back to Toronto.

Toronto had spent the morning of Tuesday processing their 18-inning third game defeat – equal to the lengthiest Fall Classic game ever – a defeat that denied them the opportunity to take the lead in the matchup and burned through both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider stated afterwards that “the Dodgers won a contest, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his team offered convincing proof.

Early Action

The Dodgers again scored first. Max Muncy walked in the second, moved up on a base hit and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the initial breakthrough did not rattle a Blue Jays team that led MLB with 49 comeback wins this year.

They responded immediately in the third. Lukes hit a one-out single to center field and Guerrero came to the plate hunting a curveball. Shohei Ohtani left a sweeper up and Guerrero sent it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his first long hit of the series and his 7th home run this postseason – a fresh club record – regaining the Toronto's lead after 13 shutout innings and changing the momentum of the night.

Ohtani's Night

That swing also ended Shohei Ohtani's history-making run of 11 consecutive plate appearances reaching base. The dual-threat star had smashed two homers and got on base a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' third game comeback win. But on that night, he started on short rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the prior extra-inning game.

His pitch speed was under his seasonal norm and he struggled more as the contest progressed. Nonetheless, he displayed flashes of his typical control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to extend his Fall Classic streak. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six hits and four runs were credited to him in six-plus frames.

Seventh Inning Surge

The larger issue for Los Angeles was what came next when he finally lost steam.

Varsho started the seventh with a clean single to right field, and Clement drilled a double off the fence to put two on with none out. Roberts had little choice but to remove Ohtani, who departed to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Dodgers' relief corps could not complete the inning.

Anthony Banda came into the mess and immediately fell behind. Andrés Giménez fought to a full count before driving in the runner with a base hit to left. Ty France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove Banda out of the contest. Blake Treinen entered next but also was unable to stop the rally: Bichette and Addison Barger hit run-scoring base hits through the infield, capping a four-run outburst that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Toronto's capacity to absorb early blows and respond has characterized their whole run. They once again succeeded without Springer, the injured leadoff man who left the third game after tweaking his right side.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was everything the Blue Jays required. Traded for during the summer while finishing recovery from elbow surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner stranded multiple baserunners and silenced the Dodgers' potent batting order. He gave up one run on four base hits and three free passes before the manager called on first-year left-hander Fluharty to confront the heart of the lineup in the sixth inning. Fluharty needed just four pitches to get out Muncy and Edman, preserving a narrow lead that quickly became safe.

Former starter Chris Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' offense kept to struggle. The Dodgers have produced only three scores over their previous 20 innings, an sudden downturn for a club that was among MLB's top lineups all season.

Closing Moments

The Dodgers managed a score in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman hit into an out to bring home Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's double put runners aboard. But Varland finished the game without permitting a comeback to build.

Following a night when Toronto stranded a World Series-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after repeated of wasted opportunities, Game 4 was ruthlessly effective. 6 different Blue Jays collected base hits, five drove in runs and the team converted nearly every run-scoring opportunity presented in the late stanzas.

Next Up

The win guarantees the championship trophy will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not celebrated a title since Joe Carter's iconic game-winning home run in '93. They now are aware they are guaranteed a packed house in Toronto on Friday night – and possibly the next day – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game approaches with the series reset and momentum shifting north. Dodgers left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Toronto's surge. The Blue Jays counter with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Blue Jays knocked out the starter early in an decisive win.