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Less than a day following staggering through one of the most draining defeats in Fall Classic annals, the Blue Jays played with complete control.

Guerrero crushed a two-run home run and Bieber delivered a steady outing as Toronto beat the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, tying the Fall Classic at two games each and ensuring the matchup will head back to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had passed the morning of Tuesday dealing with their marathon Game 3 loss – tied for the lengthiest Fall Classic contest ever – a loss that denied them the chance to take the lead in the matchup and depleted both bullpens. Manager John Schneider insisted afterwards that “they took a contest, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad provided convincing proof.

Early Action

The Dodgers again struck first. Max Muncy walked in the second inning, moved up on a base hit and crossed the plate on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial score did not shake a Toronto club that topped Major League Baseball with 49 comeback victories this season.

They answered right away in the third. Lukes hit a one away base hit to centre and Guerrero came to the plate hunting a curveball. Ohtani left a slider up and he drove it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his initial long hit of the World Series and his 7th home run this postseason – a new club record – regaining the Toronto's lead after 13 shutout frames and shifting the momentum of the game.

Ohtani's Performance

That swing also halted Shohei Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 consecutive plate appearances reaching base. The dual-threat star had smashed two homers and reached safely a record nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 comeback win. But on that night, he took the mound on limited rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the prior extra-inning game.

Ohtani fastball velocity sat below his seasonal norm and he labored more as the game progressed. Even so, he showed glimpses of his typical command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first to continue his World Series streak. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six base hits and four earned runs were charged to him in six-plus frames.

Seventh Inning Surge

The larger issue for the Dodgers was what followed when he eventually ran out of steam.

Varsho opened the seventh inning with a sharp single to right field, and Clement smashed a double off the fence to put two on with none out. Dave Roberts had little choice but to pull the starter, who exited to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not complete the escape.

Anthony Banda inherited the mess and immediately trailed in the count. Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before driving in the runner with a single to left. France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock Banda out of the game. Blake Treinen came in next but also failed to stem the momentum: Bichette and Addison Barger punched run-scoring base hits through the infield, capping a four-score barrage that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Toronto's ability to absorb early blows and answer has characterized their entire run. They once again did it without Springer, the injured leadoff man who exited the third game after straining his right side.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was everything Toronto required. Traded for mid-season while completing recovery from elbow surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner left multiple baserunners and quieted the Dodgers' dangerous lineup. He gave up one earned run on four hits and three walks before Schneider called on first-year left-hander Fluharty to confront the heart of the order in the sixth inning. Fluharty needed just four pitches to retire Max Muncy and Edman, protecting a narrow lead that soon grew comfortable.

Converted starter Chris Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' offense continued to struggle. The Dodgers have scored only three scores over their previous 20 innings, an sudden slowdown for a club that was among baseball's elite offenses all season.

Final Innings

The Los Angeles scraped a score in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman hit into an out to score Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's double put two on base. But Varland finished the game without allowing a comeback to develop.

After a game when the Blue Jays stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after wave upon wave of missed chances, Game 4 was ruthlessly efficient. 6 separate Blue Jays collected hits, five brought home runs and the squad cashed nearly every run-scoring opportunity presented in the late innings.

Next Up

The win ensures the championship title will be presented at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not celebrated a title since Joe Carter's famous game-winning homer in 1993. They now know they are guaranteed a packed crowd in Canada on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game looms with the series reset and energy shifting to Toronto. 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 the opener, when the Blue Jays chased the starter quickly in an decisive victory.