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Only 24 hours following enduring one of the most draining losses in World Series history, the Blue Jays played with complete command.

Guerrero smashed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber delivered a steady start as Toronto defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, squaring the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and ensuring the matchup will return to Toronto.

Toronto had spent the early hours of Tuesday dealing with their marathon third game defeat – equal to the lengthiest Fall Classic contest ever – a loss that denied them the opportunity to take the lead in the series and depleted both bullpens. Manager Schneider stated later that “they took a contest, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his team provided convincing proof.

Initial Innings

The Dodgers again scored first. Max Muncy walked in the second inning, advanced on a single and scored on Hernández's fly out. But the early score did not rattle a Toronto club that topped Major League Baseball with 49 comeback victories this season.

They answered right away in the third inning. Lukes hit a one away base hit to centre and Guerrero came to the plate hunting a curveball. Shohei Ohtani left a sweeper up and Guerrero sent it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his first extra-base hit of the World Series and his 7th homer this postseason – a fresh team mark – restoring the Blue Jays's lead after 13 scoreless innings and shifting the momentum of the night.

Ohtani's Night

That hit also ended Shohei Ohtani's history-making run of 11 straight at-bats getting on base. The dual-threat phenomenon had smashed two homers and got on base a historic nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 comeback win. But on that night, he took the mound on short rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the previous extra-inning game.

Ohtani pitch speed sat under his regular-season average and he struggled more as the contest wore on. Even so, he showed glimpses of his usual command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first to continue his World Series streak. But the Blue Jays made him work: six base hits and four runs were credited to him in six-plus frames.

Seventh Inning Rally

The larger problem for the Dodgers was what followed when he finally ran out of energy.

Varsho opened the seventh with a clean hit to right, and Clement smashed a double off the wall to put runners on with no outs. Roberts had little choice but to remove Ohtani, who exited to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Dodgers' bullpen could not complete the inning.

Banda came into the jam and immediately fell behind. Giménez fought to a full count before scoring Varsho with a base hit to left field. Ty France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove Banda out of the game. Blake Treinen entered next but also was unable to stem the momentum: Bo Bichette and Barger hit run-scoring singles through the diamond, capping a four-run barrage that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Toronto's ability to absorb early setbacks and respond has characterized their whole postseason. They once again did it without George Springer, the injured leadoff hitter who exited the third game after tweaking his right side.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was everything Toronto needed. Traded for mid-season while completing rehab from elbow surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner stranded several baserunners and silenced the Los Angeles' dangerous batting order. He allowed one run on four base hits and three free passes before Schneider called on rookie pitcher Mason Fluharty to face the core of the order in the sixth. He needed just four pitches to get out Max Muncy and Edman, preserving a narrow lead that soon grew comfortable.

Former starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' bats continued to sputter. The Dodgers have produced only 3 scores over their last 20 frames, an abrupt slowdown for a team that ranked among baseball's elite offenses all year.

Final Moments

The Los Angeles managed a score in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman grounded out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's two-base hit put runners on base. But Varland closed it down without allowing a rally to build.

After a night when Toronto stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and collapsed after wave upon wave of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was brutally effective. Six separate Blue Jays recorded hits, five brought home scores and the squad converted almost every scoring chance presented in the late stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The win guarantees the World Series trophy will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not celebrated a championship since Carter's famous game-winning homer in 1993. They now are aware they are assured a packed house in Canada on Friday evening – and possibly Saturday – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 approaches with the matchup even and energy swinging north. Dodgers pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Blue Jays's momentum. The Blue Jays respond with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Toronto knocked out Snell early in an decisive win.