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

Guerrero crushed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber delivered a composed start as Toronto defeated the 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 spent the early hours of the next day processing their marathon Game 3 loss – equal to the longest World Series game ever – a defeat that cost them the opportunity to take the lead in the series and burned through both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider insisted afterwards that “the Dodgers won a game, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his team provided emphatic evidence.

Initial Action

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

They answered right away in the third inning. Nathan Lukes lined a one away base hit to center field and Guerrero came to the plate hunting a curveball. Shohei Ohtani left a sweeper up and Guerrero sent it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his initial long hit of the series and his seventh home run this playoffs – a new club mark – regaining the Toronto's lead after 13 scoreless frames and changing the tone of the night.

Shohei's Performance

That swing also ended Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 straight at-bats getting on base. The dual-threat phenomenon had hit two home runs and got on base a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 walk-off. But on that night, he took the mound on short rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the prior marathon.

His pitch speed sat below his seasonal average and he struggled more as the contest progressed. Nonetheless, he showed flashes of his typical control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and fanning six. He even walked in the first inning to extend his Fall Classic streak. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six base hits and four earned runs were charged to him in six-plus innings.

Seventh Inning Surge

The bigger problem for Los Angeles was what followed when Ohtani eventually lost steam.

Varsho started the seventh inning with a clean hit to right field, and Ernie Clement drilled a double off the wall to put runners on with no outs. Dave Roberts had little choice but to pull Ohtani, who exited to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not complete the escape.

Anthony Banda came into the mess and right away fell behind. Andrés Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before scoring Varsho with a base hit to left. France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove the pitcher out of the contest. Blake Treinen entered next but also failed to stem the rally: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger hit RBI singles through the diamond, capping a four-score barrage that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Toronto's ability to absorb early setbacks and answer has defined their entire run. They once again succeeded without Springer, the hurt leadoff hitter who exited the third game after tweaking his oblique.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was everything Toronto required. Traded for during the summer while finishing rehab from elbow surgery, the ex- award-winning winner left multiple baserunners and quieted the Dodgers' dangerous lineup. He gave up one earned run on four base hits and three walks before the manager called on first-year left-hander Mason Fluharty to confront the heart of the lineup in the sixth inning. Fluharty needed just four throws to get out Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a fragile lead that quickly became safe.

Former starting pitcher Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' offense continued to struggle. The Dodgers have scored only 3 runs over their last 20 innings, an sudden downturn for a club that was among MLB's top lineups all season.

Closing Innings

The Los Angeles scraped a run 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 Louis Varland closed it down without allowing a comeback to build.

After a game when the Blue Jays stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after repeated of missed chances, the fourth contest was brutally effective. Six separate Toronto players recorded hits, five drove in runs and the team converted nearly every scoring opportunity presented in the late stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The win guarantees the championship title will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not won a championship since Carter's iconic walk-off home run in '93. They now know they are guaranteed a packed house in Canada on Friday evening – and possibly Saturday – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 approaches with the series even and momentum swinging north. Los Angeles left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Toronto's momentum. Toronto counter with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Blue Jays knocked out Snell quickly in an 11-4 win.