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Only 24 hours following staggering through one of the most draining losses in Fall Classic annals, the Blue Jays played with total control.

Guerrero smashed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber provided a composed outing as Toronto defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, tying the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Canada.

The Blue Jays had passed the morning of Tuesday processing their marathon Game 3 loss – tied for the longest Fall Classic contest ever – a defeat that denied them the chance to lead the series and depleted both bullpens. Skipper John Schneider stated later that “they won a game, not the World Series”. A day later, his squad offered emphatic evidence.

Initial Innings

The Los Angeles again scored first. Max Muncy walked in the second inning, moved up on a single and crossed the plate on Hernández's fly out. But the initial breakthrough did not shake a Toronto club that led MLB with 49 come-from-behind wins this year.

They responded immediately in the third inning. Nathan Lukes hit a one away base hit to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in looking for a breaking ball. Ohtani threw a sweeper up and Guerrero sent it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his initial long hit of the series and his 7th home run this postseason – a fresh club mark – regaining the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 shutout innings and changing the momentum of the game.

Shohei's Night

That hit also halted Ohtani's history-making run of 11 straight at-bats getting on base. The two-way phenomenon had smashed two home runs and reached safely a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' third game comeback win. But on that night, he started on limited rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the prior extra-inning game.

His fastball velocity was under his regular-season norm and he struggled more as the game wore on. Even so, he displayed glimpses of his typical control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and striking out six. He even walked in the first inning to continue his World Series record. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six base hits and four earned runs were credited to him in six-plus frames.

Seventh Inning Rally

The bigger problem for Los Angeles was what came next when he finally ran out of energy.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh inning with a sharp single to right field, and Clement drilled a double off the fence to put runners on with no outs. Dave Roberts had no option but to pull the starter, who exited to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Dodgers' relief corps could not complete the escape.

Banda came into the mess and immediately fell behind. Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before driving in the runner with a base hit to left field. France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock Banda out of the contest. Blake Treinen came in next but also was unable to stem the momentum: Bichette and Barger punched RBI singles through the infield, completing a four-score barrage that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Blue Jays's ability to withstand early blows and respond has defined their whole run. They once again succeeded without Springer, the injured top-of-the-order hitter who left the third game after tweaking his oblique.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was everything the Blue Jays needed. Traded for mid-season while completing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner stranded several baserunners and silenced the Los Angeles' dangerous batting order. He gave up one run on four hits and three walks before the manager called on rookie pitcher Mason Fluharty to face the core of the lineup in the sixth. He needed just four pitches to get out Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a fragile lead that soon grew safe.

Converted starter Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' offense kept to struggle. The Dodgers have scored only three scores over their last 20 innings, an sudden downturn for a club that ranked among MLB's top lineups all season.

Closing Moments

The Dodgers managed a run in the ninth inning when Edman hit into an out to score Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's double put two aboard. But Louis Varland closed it down without permitting a rally to develop.

After a night when Toronto left a World Series-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after wave upon wave of missed opportunities, Game 4 was ruthlessly efficient. 6 separate Toronto players collected hits, 5 brought home runs and the team converted nearly every run-scoring chance available in the late stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The win ensures the World Series trophy will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not won a championship since Joe Carter's famous game-winning homer in '93. They now are aware they are assured a packed crowd in Canada on Friday evening – and perhaps the next day – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game approaches with the matchup reset and momentum shifting north. Los Angeles left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Toronto's surge. The Blue Jays counter with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Toronto chased the starter quickly in an decisive win.