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Less than a day after staggering through one of the most exhausting losses in Fall Classic annals, the Toronto Blue Jays played with total control.

Guerrero smashed a two-run home run and Bieber delivered a composed start as Toronto defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, squaring the World Series at two wins apiece and ensuring the series will return to Canada.

Toronto had passed the early hours of the next day processing their marathon third game defeat – equal to the lengthiest World Series game ever – a defeat that denied them the opportunity to lead the matchup and depleted both bullpens. Manager Schneider stated afterwards that “they won a contest, not the championship”. A day later, his squad provided emphatic proof.

Initial Action

The Dodgers again scored first. Max Muncy walked in the second, moved up on a single and scored on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the initial breakthrough did not shake a Blue Jays team that topped MLB with 49 come-from-behind victories this year.

They answered immediately in the third inning. Nathan Lukes hit a one away single to center field and Guerrero stepped in looking for a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani threw a sweeper up and he sent it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his initial extra-base hit of the World Series and his 7th home run this playoffs – a fresh club mark – regaining the Toronto's lead after 13 scoreless innings and shifting the tone of the game.

Shohei's Performance

That swing also halted Shohei Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 straight plate appearances getting on base. The dual-threat star had smashed two home runs and got on base a record nine times in the Los Angeles' third game walk-off. But on Tuesday, he started on short rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the previous extra-inning game.

Ohtani fastball velocity was under his seasonal average and he struggled more as the contest progressed. Nonetheless, he showed glimpses of his usual command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and striking out six. He even walked in the first to continue his Fall Classic streak. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six base hits and four earned runs were credited to him in over six frames.

Late Game Surge

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

Daulton Varsho started the seventh inning with a sharp hit to right field, and Clement smashed a two-base hit off the wall to put two on with no outs. Roberts had little choice but to remove the starter, who exited to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not complete the inning.

Anthony Banda inherited the mess and right away trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before driving in the runner with a single to left. Ty France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock the pitcher out of the contest. Treinen came in next but also was unable to stop the momentum: Bo Bichette and Barger hit run-scoring singles through the infield, capping a four-run outburst that extended the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Blue Jays's capacity to withstand early setbacks and answer has characterized their whole run. They once again succeeded without Springer, the hurt leadoff hitter who left Game 3 after straining his oblique.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what the Blue Jays needed. Acquired mid-season while finishing recovery from elbow surgery, the former Cy Young winner stranded several runners and silenced the Dodgers' potent batting order. He allowed one earned run on four hits and three free passes before the manager summoned first-year left-hander Fluharty to confront the heart of the lineup in the sixth. Fluharty needed just four pitches to get out Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a narrow lead that quickly became comfortable.

Former starter Chris Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' bats continued to struggle. The Dodgers have scored only 3 runs over their last 20 innings, an sudden downturn for a team that was among MLB's elite offenses all season.

Final Moments

The Los Angeles managed a score in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman grounded out to score Hernández after a walk and Muncy's two-base hit put two on base. But Varland finished the game without permitting a comeback to develop.

After a game when Toronto stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and collapsed after wave upon wave of wasted chances, Game 4 was brutally effective. Six different Toronto players recorded hits, 5 drove in scores and the squad converted nearly every scoring opportunity available in the late innings.

Next Up

The victory ensures the World Series title will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a championship since Carter's famous game-winning homer in '93. They now know they are guaranteed a full crowd in Toronto on Friday night – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what occurs next in LA.

Game 5 looms with the matchup reset and energy swinging to Toronto. Los Angeles left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Toronto's surge. The Blue Jays respond with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Toronto knocked out the starter quickly in an decisive victory.