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Less than a day following staggering through one of the most exhausting defeats in World Series annals, the Toronto Blue Jays played with complete control.

Guerrero smashed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber provided a steady outing as Toronto defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, tying the Fall Classic at two games each and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Toronto.

Toronto had spent the early hours of Tuesday dealing with their 18-inning third game defeat – equal to the lengthiest Fall Classic game ever – a loss that denied them the chance to take the lead in the series and depleted both bullpens. Skipper Schneider insisted later that “the Dodgers won a contest, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad offered emphatic evidence.

Initial Action

The Dodgers again scored first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, moved up on a base hit and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial score did not rattle a Toronto club that led MLB with 49 come-from-behind victories this year.

They answered right away in the third inning. Nathan Lukes lined a one-out base hit to centre and Guerrero came to the plate looking for a curveball. Ohtani threw a slider up and he drove it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his first extra-base hit of the series and his seventh homer this postseason – a fresh club mark – restoring the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 shutout frames and changing the tone of the game.

Shohei's Night

That swing also ended Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 straight at-bats getting on base. The dual-threat star had smashed two homers and got on base a record nine times in the Los Angeles' third game comeback win. But on that night, he took the mound on limited rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the previous extra-inning game.

Ohtani fastball velocity was below his seasonal average and he struggled more as the game progressed. Even so, he showed flashes of his typical control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first to extend his World Series record. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six base hits and four runs were charged to him in over six frames.

Seventh Inning Surge

The larger issue for the Dodgers was what came next when Ohtani finally ran out of steam.

Daulton Varsho started the seventh inning with a clean hit to right, and Clement smashed a double off the fence to put runners on with none out. Dave Roberts had no option but to pull the starter, who exited to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Dodgers' bullpen could not complete the inning.

Banda came into the jam and right away fell behind. Andrés Giménez battled to a full count before scoring the runner with a base hit to left field. France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock Banda out of the contest. Treinen entered next but also failed to stem the rally: Bichette and Addison Barger punched run-scoring singles through the infield, capping a four-run outburst that extended the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Blue Jays's ability to absorb initial blows and respond has defined their whole run. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the injured leadoff hitter who left Game 3 after straining his right side.

Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what Toronto needed. Acquired during the summer while completing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the former Cy Young winner stranded several baserunners and silenced the Los Angeles' dangerous batting order. He gave up one run on four hits and three walks before Schneider summoned rookie pitcher Fluharty to confront the heart of the lineup in the sixth. He needed just four pitches to get out Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a fragile advantage that quickly grew safe.

Converted starter Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' offense continued to struggle. The Dodgers have produced only 3 scores over their last 20 frames, an abrupt slowdown for a club that ranked among baseball's top lineups all season.

Closing Innings

The Dodgers managed a run in the ninth inning when Edman hit into an out to score Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's two-base hit put two aboard. But Varland finished the game without permitting a comeback to build.

After a night when the Blue Jays left a World Series-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after repeated of wasted chances, the fourth contest was brutally effective. 6 different Blue Jays recorded base hits, five brought home runs and the squad converted nearly every run-scoring opportunity available in the late stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The win guarantees the World Series title will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not celebrated a championship since Carter's iconic walk-off home run in 1993. They now are aware they are guaranteed a packed house in Canada on Friday evening – and possibly the next day – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game looms with the matchup even and energy shifting to Toronto. Los Angeles pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Toronto's momentum. The Blue Jays counter with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Blue Jays chased the starter quickly in an decisive victory.