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Less than a day after enduring one of the most exhausting defeats in World Series annals, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed complete control.

Guerrero crushed a two-run homer and Bieber delivered a composed outing as the Blue Jays defeated the 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 matchup will return to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had spent the morning of the next day processing their 18-inning third game defeat – equal to the longest Fall Classic contest ever – a loss that denied them the chance to lead the series and depleted both relief corps. Skipper Schneider stated afterwards that “the Dodgers won a contest, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad provided emphatic proof.

Early Innings

The Los Angeles again scored first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second, moved up on a base hit and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the initial score did not rattle a Toronto club that topped Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind victories this year.

They responded right away in the third inning. Lukes lined a one-out single to centre and Guerrero stepped in hunting a breaking ball. Ohtani left a slider up and he drove it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his initial extra-base hit of the series and his 7th homer this postseason – a new club record – restoring the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 shutout frames and shifting the momentum of the game.

Shohei's Night

That hit also ended Shohei Ohtani's history-making run of 11 straight at-bats getting on base. The two-way star had smashed two home runs and reached safely a historic nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 walk-off. But on Tuesday, he started on limited rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the prior extra-inning game.

His fastball velocity sat below his seasonal norm and he labored more as the game progressed. Even so, he showed flashes of his usual command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first to extend his Fall Classic streak. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six base hits and four runs were charged to him in six-plus innings.

Seventh Inning Surge

The larger issue for the Dodgers was what came next when he finally lost energy.

Varsho opened the seventh inning with a clean hit to right field, and Clement drilled a two-base hit off the wall to put runners on with none out. Dave Roberts had little choice but to pull the starter, who exited to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Dodgers' relief corps could not complete the inning.

Banda came into the mess and right away fell behind. Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before driving in the runner with a base hit to left. Ty France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove the pitcher out of the game. Treinen entered next but also was unable to stop the momentum: Bo Bichette and Barger punched run-scoring singles through the diamond, completing a four-run outburst that extended the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Blue Jays's ability to withstand early setbacks and answer has defined their whole run. They once again succeeded without Springer, the injured leadoff hitter who left the third game after straining his right side.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what Toronto needed. Acquired mid-season while finishing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner left multiple runners and silenced the Los Angeles' potent lineup. He allowed one run on four base hits and three walks before Schneider summoned rookie left-hander Fluharty to confront the core of the lineup in the sixth. He needed just four pitches to get out Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a fragile advantage that quickly became comfortable.

Former starter Chris Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' offense continued to sputter. Los Angeles have scored only 3 scores over their last 20 innings, an abrupt slowdown for a team that ranked among baseball's top offenses all year.

Final Innings

The Dodgers managed a run in the ninth when Tommy Edman grounded out to score Hernández after a walk and Muncy's two-base hit put two aboard. But Varland closed it down without allowing a comeback to build.

Following a night when the Blue Jays left a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after wave upon wave of missed chances, the fourth contest was ruthlessly efficient. Six different Toronto players collected base hits, 5 drove in runs and the squad converted nearly every run-scoring chance presented in the final innings.

Next Up

The victory guarantees the World Series trophy will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not won a title since Carter's famous game-winning homer in 1993. They now know they are guaranteed a full crowd in Toronto on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game looms with the matchup reset and momentum swinging north. Los Angeles pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Toronto's surge. Toronto respond with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Blue Jays knocked out the starter quickly in an decisive win.