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Only 24 hours following enduring one of the most draining defeats in World Series history, the Blue Jays played with total control.

Guerrero smashed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber delivered a steady outing as the Blue Jays defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, tying the World Series at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the series will head back to Canada.

The Blue Jays had passed the early hours of Tuesday dealing with their marathon Game 3 loss – equal to the longest Fall Classic contest ever – a defeat that cost them the opportunity to lead the matchup and burned through both relief corps. Manager Schneider insisted later that “they took a game, not the World Series”. A day later, his team provided emphatic proof.

Initial Innings

The Los Angeles again struck first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, advanced on a single and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the initial score did not shake a Toronto club that led Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind victories this year.

They responded immediately in the third. Nathan Lukes hit a one-out single to center field and Guerrero came to the plate looking for a curveball. Shohei Ohtani left a slider up and he sent it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his initial long hit of the series and his seventh home run this postseason – a new club record – regaining the Toronto's advantage after 13 shutout innings and changing the momentum of the night.

Shohei's Night

That hit also ended Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 straight plate appearances getting on base. The two-way star had smashed two home runs and reached safely a historic nine times in the Dodgers' third game walk-off. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on limited rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the previous marathon.

His pitch speed was under his regular-season norm and he struggled more as the game wore on. Nonetheless, he showed glimpses of his typical command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and fanning six. He even walked in the first to continue his World Series streak. But the Toronto made him work: six base hits and four runs were credited to him in six-plus frames.

Seventh Inning Rally

The bigger issue for Los Angeles was what came next when Ohtani eventually ran out of steam.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh inning with a clean hit to right field, and Clement smashed a double off the wall to put runners on with no outs. Roberts had little choice but to pull the starter, who departed to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not complete the escape.

Anthony Banda came into the mess and right away trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before scoring the runner with a single to left. France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove Banda out of the game. Treinen entered next but also was unable to stop the momentum: Bichette and Barger hit RBI singles through the infield, capping a four-run barrage that extended the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Blue Jays's capacity to withstand early blows and respond has characterized their whole postseason. They once again did it without Springer, the injured leadoff hitter who exited the third game after tweaking his oblique.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what the Blue Jays required. Acquired mid-season while finishing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the ex- award-winning winner stranded several baserunners and silenced the Dodgers' dangerous batting order. He gave up one earned run on four base hits and three free passes before the manager summoned first-year pitcher Fluharty to face the core of the lineup in the sixth. He required just four pitches to get out Muncy and Edman, protecting a narrow advantage that quickly became safe.

Former starting pitcher Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' offense continued to struggle. The Dodgers have produced only three scores over their previous 20 innings, an abrupt slowdown for a team that ranked among baseball's top offenses all season.

Final Moments

The Los Angeles managed a score in the ninth when Tommy Edman grounded out to score Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Muncy's double put runners on base. But Varland closed it down without permitting a rally to develop.

After a night when Toronto stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and fell apart after repeated of missed chances, the fourth contest was ruthlessly effective. Six different Blue Jays recorded hits, 5 drove in scores and the squad converted nearly every scoring opportunity presented in the late stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The victory ensures the championship title will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a title since Carter's famous walk-off home run in 1993. They now know they are assured a packed crowd in Canada on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 looms with the matchup even and energy swinging north. Los Angeles pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Toronto's momentum. Toronto counter with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Blue Jays knocked out Snell quickly in an decisive win.