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

Guerrero smashed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber provided a steady start as the Blue Jays beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, squaring the Fall Classic at two games each and ensuring the series will head back to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had spent the morning of Tuesday processing their marathon Game 3 loss – equal to the lengthiest World Series game ever – a loss that denied them the chance to lead the series and burned through both bullpens. Skipper John Schneider insisted later that “they won a game, not the World Series”. A day later, his team provided convincing proof.

Initial Innings

The Dodgers again struck first. Muncy walked in the second, advanced on a base hit and scored on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial score did not shake a Toronto team that topped MLB with 49 comeback wins this season.

They responded immediately in the third. Nathan Lukes hit a one away single to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in hunting a breaking ball. Ohtani left a sweeper up and he sent it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his first long hit of the series and his seventh home run this playoffs – a fresh team record – restoring the Toronto's advantage after 13 shutout frames and changing the momentum of the night.

Shohei's Night

That hit also halted Shohei Ohtani's history-making run of 11 consecutive plate appearances reaching base. The dual-threat phenomenon had smashed two homers and reached safely a historic nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 walk-off. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on limited rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the prior marathon.

His pitch speed sat below his seasonal norm and he struggled more as the contest wore on. Nonetheless, he displayed flashes of his typical control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first to extend his World Series record. But the Blue Jays made him work: six base hits and four runs were credited to him in over six innings.

Seventh Inning Surge

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

Daulton Varsho started the seventh with a clean hit to right, and Clement drilled a double off the fence to put runners on with no outs. Roberts had no option but to remove the starter, who departed to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Dodgers' bullpen could not complete the inning.

Banda came into the mess and right away trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez battled to a full count before driving in the runner with a single to left. France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock Banda out of the game. Treinen entered next but also failed to stop the momentum: Bo Bichette and Barger punched RBI base hits through the diamond, capping a four-score barrage that extended the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Blue Jays's capacity to withstand early setbacks and answer has characterized their whole run. They once again did it without George Springer, the hurt leadoff man who exited the third game after straining his right side.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what Toronto needed. Acquired during the summer while completing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner left several baserunners and quieted the Dodgers' potent batting order. He allowed one run on four base hits and three free passes before the manager summoned first-year pitcher Mason Fluharty to confront the core of the lineup in the sixth inning. He required just 4 pitches to retire Max Muncy and Edman, protecting a fragile advantage that soon grew safe.

Former starter Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' offense kept to sputter. The Dodgers have produced only three runs over their previous 20 innings, an sudden downturn for a club that ranked among baseball's elite lineups all season.

Closing Moments

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 double put runners on base. But Varland closed it down without allowing a rally to build.

After a game when the Blue Jays left a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and fell apart after wave upon wave of missed opportunities, the fourth contest was brutally effective. 6 separate Toronto players collected hits, five brought home runs and the squad cashed almost every scoring opportunity presented in the late stanzas.

Next Up

The victory ensures the championship title will be presented at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a championship since Carter's iconic walk-off homer in 1993. They now know they are guaranteed a full crowd in Toronto on Friday night – and possibly Saturday – no matter what occurs next in LA.

The fifth game approaches with the series reset and momentum swinging north. Dodgers left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Blue Jays's surge. Toronto respond with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Blue Jays knocked out the starter early in an 11-4 win.