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Less than a day after enduring one of the most draining defeats in World Series history, the Blue Jays played with total command.

Guerrero smashed a two-run home run and Bieber delivered a composed start as the Blue Jays beat the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, squaring the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Toronto.

Toronto had spent the early hours of Tuesday processing their 18-inning third game defeat – tied for the longest World Series game ever – a defeat that denied them the opportunity to lead the matchup and burned through both relief corps. Manager John Schneider insisted afterwards that “the Dodgers won a game, not the championship”. A day later, his team provided convincing evidence.

Initial Innings

The Los Angeles again struck first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second, moved up on a single and scored on Hernández's fly out. But the initial breakthrough did not rattle a Blue Jays club that topped Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind wins this season.

They responded immediately in the third inning. Nathan Lukes hit a one-out single to center field and Guerrero came to the plate looking for a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani left a slider up and Guerrero drove it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his initial long hit of the series and his 7th home run this playoffs – a fresh club mark – regaining the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 scoreless innings and changing the momentum of the night.

Ohtani's Performance

That swing also halted Shohei Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 straight plate appearances getting on base. The dual-threat phenomenon had smashed two home runs and reached safely a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' third game walk-off. But on Tuesday, he started on short rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the previous marathon.

Ohtani fastball velocity sat under his seasonal average and he labored more as the contest progressed. Nonetheless, he showed flashes of his typical control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to continue his Fall Classic record. 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 bigger issue for the Dodgers was what followed when Ohtani eventually ran out of steam.

Varsho opened the seventh with a clean hit to right, and Ernie Clement drilled a two-base hit off the fence to put runners on with no outs. Roberts had no option but to pull Ohtani, who departed to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not complete the inning.

Banda came into the jam and right away trailed in the count. Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before driving in the runner with a base hit to left. Ty France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock Banda out of the contest. Blake Treinen entered next but also failed to stem the momentum: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger punched RBI singles through the infield, completing a four-run outburst that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Blue Jays's ability to absorb initial setbacks and respond has defined their entire postseason. They once again did it without George Springer, the injured leadoff man who left the third game after straining his oblique.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was everything the Blue Jays needed. Acquired mid-season while finishing rehab from elbow surgery, the ex- award-winning winner left multiple runners and quieted the Dodgers' potent lineup. He gave up one run on four base hits and three walks before Schneider called on rookie pitcher Fluharty to confront the core of the order in the sixth. Fluharty needed just 4 throws to retire Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a narrow lead that soon grew safe.

Former starting pitcher Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' bats kept to sputter. The Dodgers have produced only 3 runs over their last 20 innings, an abrupt slowdown for a club that ranked among baseball's elite offenses all season.

Final Innings

The Dodgers scraped a score in the ninth when Tommy Edman hit into an out to score Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's two-base hit put two aboard. But Varland finished the game without allowing a rally to build.

Following a game when Toronto left a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after repeated of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was ruthlessly efficient. 6 different Blue Jays collected hits, 5 brought home runs and the squad cashed nearly every scoring chance presented in the final innings.

Looking Ahead

The win guarantees the championship title will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not won a championship since Joe Carter's famous walk-off home run in '93. They now are aware they are assured a full house in Toronto on Friday night – and possibly Saturday – no matter what occurs next in LA.

Game 5 looms with the matchup reset and energy swinging to Toronto. Los Angeles pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Blue Jays's momentum. Toronto counter with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Toronto chased Snell early in an decisive win.