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

Guerrero smashed a two-run home run and Bieber provided a steady start as the Blue Jays beat the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, squaring the World Series at two games each and guaranteeing the series will head back to Canada.

The Blue Jays had passed the morning of Tuesday processing their 18-inning third game defeat – tied for the longest Fall Classic game ever – a defeat that denied them the opportunity to lead the series and depleted both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider insisted afterwards that “they took a contest, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad provided convincing proof.

Initial Innings

The Dodgers again scored first. Muncy walked in the second, advanced on a base hit and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the initial score did not shake a Blue Jays club that topped Major League Baseball with 49 comeback victories this season.

They answered right away in the third inning. Lukes lined a one-out base hit to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate looking for a curveball. Shohei Ohtani left a sweeper up and Guerrero drove it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his first long hit of the World Series and his 7th home run this postseason – a fresh club mark – regaining the Toronto's advantage after 13 shutout innings and changing the momentum of the night.

Shohei's Night

That hit also halted Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 straight at-bats reaching base. The two-way star had smashed two home runs and reached safely a record nine times in the Los Angeles' third game comeback win. But on Tuesday, he started on limited rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the prior marathon.

His pitch speed was below his regular-season norm and he struggled more as the contest progressed. Even so, he displayed glimpses of his usual command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and striking out six. He even walked in the first to continue his Fall Classic streak. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six base hits and four earned runs were credited to him in over six frames.

Late Game Surge

The larger issue for Los Angeles was what came next when he finally ran out of energy.

Daulton Varsho started the seventh with a clean hit to right field, and Clement smashed a double off the fence to put runners on with no outs. Dave Roberts had little choice but to remove Ohtani, who departed to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not finish the escape.

Banda came into the jam and immediately trailed in the count. Giménez fought 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 sufficient to remove the pitcher out of the contest. Treinen entered next but also failed to stem the rally: Bichette and Barger punched RBI base hits through the diamond, capping a four-run barrage that extended the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Blue Jays's capacity to withstand early setbacks and respond has characterized their entire postseason. They once again succeeded without Springer, the hurt leadoff hitter who left Game 3 after straining his oblique.

Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what Toronto needed. Traded for during the summer while completing rehab from elbow surgery, the former Cy Young winner stranded multiple baserunners and silenced the Los Angeles' potent batting order. He allowed one earned run on four hits and three free passes before the manager called on rookie left-hander Fluharty to face the heart of the order in the sixth. Fluharty needed just four throws to get out Max Muncy and Edman, protecting a narrow lead that soon grew comfortable.

Converted starting pitcher Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' offense continued to sputter. The Dodgers have produced only three runs over their previous 20 innings, an abrupt slowdown for a team that ranked among MLB's elite lineups all season.

Final Innings

The Dodgers managed a run in the ninth when Tommy Edman grounded out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's double put runners on base. But Louis Varland finished the game without permitting a comeback to develop.

After a night when Toronto left a World Series-record 19 runners and fell apart after wave upon wave of missed chances, the fourth contest was brutally effective. 6 different Blue Jays recorded hits, 5 brought home scores and the squad converted nearly every scoring opportunity presented in the late innings.

Next Up

The win guarantees the World Series trophy will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a championship since Carter's iconic walk-off homer in '93. They now know they are assured a packed crowd in Canada on Friday night – and possibly Saturday – no matter what happens next in LA.

The fifth game looms with the series reset and energy shifting north. Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Toronto's momentum. Toronto counter with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Blue Jays knocked out Snell early in an 11-4 victory.