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Less than a day following enduring one of the most exhausting losses in Fall Classic history, the Blue Jays played with complete control.

Guerrero crushed a two-run homer and Bieber provided a steady outing as the Blue Jays beat 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 matchup will head back to Canada.

Toronto had passed the early hours of Tuesday processing their 18-inning Game 3 loss – tied for the lengthiest Fall Classic contest ever – a loss that cost them the opportunity to take the lead in the series and depleted both relief corps. Manager John Schneider stated afterwards that “they won a contest, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad provided emphatic proof.

Early Action

The Dodgers again scored first. Max Muncy walked in the second inning, advanced on a single and scored on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the initial breakthrough did not shake a Toronto club that topped MLB with 49 come-from-behind victories this year.

They answered right away in the third inning. Nathan Lukes hit a one away single to centre and Guerrero came to the plate hunting a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani left a slider up and Guerrero drove it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his first extra-base hit of the World Series and his 7th home run this playoffs – a fresh club mark – restoring the Blue Jays's lead after 13 scoreless innings and changing the momentum of the night.

Ohtani's Performance

That swing also ended Shohei Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 straight at-bats getting on base. The dual-threat phenomenon had smashed two home runs and reached safely a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 walk-off. But on Tuesday, he started on limited rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the previous marathon.

His fastball velocity was below his seasonal norm and he labored more as the contest progressed. Nonetheless, he showed glimpses of his typical control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and striking out six. He even walked in the first to continue his Fall Classic streak. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six hits and four runs were credited to him in six-plus innings.

Late Game Surge

The larger problem for Los Angeles was what followed when Ohtani eventually ran out of energy.

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

Anthony Banda came into the jam and right away trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before driving in Varsho with a single 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 came in next but also was unable to stem the momentum: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger punched run-scoring base hits through the diamond, capping a four-run outburst that extended the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Toronto's capacity to absorb initial setbacks and answer has characterized their whole run. They once again succeeded without Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order man who exited the third game after tweaking his right side.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was everything Toronto needed. Traded for mid-season while finishing recovery from elbow surgery, the former award-winning winner left multiple baserunners and quieted the Dodgers' dangerous batting order. He gave up one earned run on four hits and three walks before Schneider summoned rookie left-hander Fluharty to face the heart of the lineup in the sixth inning. He needed just four pitches to retire Muncy and Edman, preserving a fragile advantage that quickly grew safe.

Former starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' offense kept to struggle. Los Angeles have produced only three scores over their previous 20 frames, an sudden slowdown for a team that ranked among baseball's top offenses all season.

Closing Moments

The Los Angeles scraped a score in the ninth when Edman hit into an out to score Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's double put two on base. But Varland closed it down without allowing a comeback to build.

Following a night when the Blue Jays stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after repeated of missed opportunities, the fourth contest was brutally effective. Six separate Toronto players collected base hits, five brought home scores and the squad converted almost every run-scoring opportunity available in the late innings.

Next Up

The win guarantees the World Series title will be presented at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not won a championship since Carter's famous walk-off home run in '93. They now know they are guaranteed a full house in Toronto on Friday night – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game approaches with the series reset and energy shifting north. Los Angeles pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Toronto's surge. Toronto respond with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Toronto chased the starter quickly in an decisive victory.