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

Guerrero smashed a two-run homer and Bieber delivered a steady outing as Toronto beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, squaring the World Series at two games each and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Toronto.

Toronto had passed the morning of the next day processing their 18-inning third game defeat – equal to the longest World Series contest ever – a defeat that denied them the chance to lead the matchup and depleted both bullpens. Skipper John Schneider insisted afterwards that “they took a game, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad provided convincing evidence.

Early Innings

The Dodgers again scored first. Muncy walked in the second inning, advanced on a single and crossed the plate on Hernández's fly out. But the early breakthrough did not shake a Blue Jays club that led MLB with 49 come-from-behind victories this season.

They answered right away in the third. Lukes lined a one-out base hit to centre and Guerrero stepped in hunting a breaking ball. Ohtani threw a slider up and he drove it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his initial long hit of the World Series and his seventh homer this playoffs – a new team record – restoring the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 shutout frames and changing the momentum of the night.

Shohei's Performance

That hit also ended Ohtani's history-making run of 11 consecutive plate appearances reaching base. The dual-threat phenomenon had hit two home runs and reached safely a historic nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 comeback win. But on Tuesday, he started on short rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the prior marathon.

His pitch speed was under his seasonal norm and he labored more as the game wore on. Nonetheless, he showed glimpses of his typical control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and striking out six. He even walked in the first inning to continue his World Series record. But the Blue Jays made him work: six base hits and four earned runs were credited to him in six-plus innings.

Seventh Inning Surge

The larger problem for Los Angeles was what followed when Ohtani finally ran out of energy.

Varsho opened the seventh inning with a sharp hit to right, and Ernie Clement smashed a two-base hit off the wall to put runners on with no outs. Roberts had no option but to pull the starter, who exited to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not complete the escape.

Banda came into the mess and immediately fell behind. Andrés Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before driving in Varsho with a base hit to left. France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock the pitcher out of the game. Blake Treinen entered next but also failed to stop the momentum: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger punched run-scoring base hits through the infield, completing a four-score outburst that extended the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Blue Jays's capacity to absorb initial blows and respond has characterized their whole run. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the injured leadoff man who exited Game 3 after straining his oblique.

Bieber, meanwhile, was everything the Blue Jays required. Traded for during the summer while completing recovery from elbow surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner stranded multiple baserunners and silenced the Dodgers' potent batting order. He gave up one earned run on four base hits and three walks before Schneider called on first-year left-hander Mason Fluharty to confront the core of the lineup in the sixth inning. Fluharty needed just 4 throws to get out Muncy and Edman, preserving a narrow lead that quickly became safe.

Converted starting pitcher Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' bats continued to struggle. Los Angeles have scored only 3 scores over their last 20 frames, an abrupt slowdown for a club that was among MLB's top offenses all year.

Closing Innings

The Dodgers scraped a score in the ninth inning when Edman grounded out to score Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's double put two aboard. But Varland closed it down without permitting a rally to develop.

After a night when the Blue Jays left a World Series-record 19 runners and collapsed after repeated of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was brutally effective. Six different Blue Jays collected base hits, five drove in scores and the squad converted almost every run-scoring opportunity available in the late innings.

Looking Ahead

The victory ensures the World Series trophy will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not won a championship since Joe Carter's famous game-winning homer in '93. They now are aware they are guaranteed a packed crowd in Toronto on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what occurs next in LA.

Game 5 approaches with the series reset and energy shifting to Toronto. Los Angeles left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Toronto's momentum. Toronto respond with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Blue Jays knocked out the starter quickly in an 11-4 win.