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Only 24 hours following staggering through one of the most draining losses in Fall Classic annals, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed complete command.

Guerrero smashed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber provided a composed outing as the Blue Jays beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, tying the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the series will head back to Canada.

The Blue Jays had passed the morning of the next day dealing with their 18-inning third game defeat – tied for the lengthiest Fall Classic contest ever – a loss that cost them the opportunity to take the lead in the series and burned through both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider stated afterwards that “the Dodgers won a game, not the World Series”. A day later, his squad offered emphatic evidence.

Initial Action

The Los Angeles again scored first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, advanced on a single and scored on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial score did not shake a Blue Jays club that topped Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind wins this year.

They answered immediately in the third. Lukes hit a one-out single to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate looking for a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani threw a slider up and he drove it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his first long hit of the World Series and his 7th home run this playoffs – a fresh club record – restoring the Blue Jays's lead after 13 shutout innings and changing the momentum of the night.

Shohei's Night

That hit also halted Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 consecutive at-bats getting on base. The two-way star had hit two home runs and got on base a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' third game walk-off. But on that night, he started on limited rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the previous marathon.

His pitch speed was below his seasonal average and he struggled more as the game progressed. Even so, he showed glimpses of his typical command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and fanning six. He even walked in the first inning to continue his Fall Classic streak. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six hits and four earned runs were charged to him in six-plus innings.

Seventh Inning Surge

The larger issue for the Dodgers was what followed when Ohtani eventually lost steam.

Varsho opened the seventh inning with a clean single to right, and Clement smashed a two-base hit off the wall to put two on with no outs. Dave Roberts had little choice but to remove Ohtani, who exited to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not complete the inning.

Banda inherited the jam and immediately trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before scoring the runner with a single to left field. Ty France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock the pitcher out of the contest. Treinen came in next but also failed to stop the rally: Bichette and Addison Barger hit run-scoring singles through the infield, completing a four-run barrage that extended the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Toronto's ability to withstand initial blows and answer has defined their whole run. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order man who left the third game after straining his right side.

Bieber, in contrast, was everything the Blue Jays needed. Acquired mid-season while finishing rehab from elbow surgery, the former award-winning winner stranded multiple runners and silenced the Dodgers' dangerous batting order. He gave up one earned run on four base hits and three free passes before the manager summoned first-year left-hander Fluharty to face the heart of the lineup in the sixth. He needed just four throws to retire Muncy and Edman, preserving a narrow advantage that soon grew comfortable.

Converted starter Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' bats kept to struggle. Los Angeles have produced only 3 runs over their last 20 innings, an sudden slowdown for a team that was among baseball's elite offenses all year.

Closing Moments

The Los Angeles scraped a run in the ninth when Edman grounded out to score Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's double put runners on base. But Varland finished the game without allowing a rally to build.

Following a game when Toronto left a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after wave upon wave of wasted chances, the fourth contest was ruthlessly efficient. Six different Blue Jays recorded hits, 5 brought home scores and the squad cashed almost every run-scoring opportunity available in the late stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The win ensures the championship title will be presented at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a championship since Carter's iconic game-winning homer in '93. They now are aware they are assured a full house in Canada on Friday night – and possibly the next day – no matter what happens next in LA.

The fifth game approaches with the series reset and energy swinging north. Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Blue Jays's momentum. Toronto counter with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Toronto knocked out the starter quickly in an decisive win.