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Less than a day after staggering through one of the most exhausting defeats 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 Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, tying the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and ensuring the series will return to Canada.

Toronto had spent the morning of the next day dealing with their marathon Game 3 loss – equal to the longest Fall Classic contest ever – a loss that denied them the chance to take the lead in the series and depleted both bullpens. Manager John Schneider stated afterwards that “they won a game, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad provided convincing evidence.

Early Innings

The Los Angeles again struck first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second, moved up on a base hit and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early score did not shake a Blue Jays team that topped Major League Baseball with 49 comeback victories this season.

They answered immediately in the third. Nathan Lukes lined a one-out single to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in looking for a curveball. Shohei Ohtani left a sweeper up and Guerrero drove it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his initial long hit of the series and his seventh home run this playoffs – a fresh club record – regaining the Blue Jays's lead after 13 shutout frames and shifting the momentum of the game.

Ohtani's Night

That swing also ended Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 straight plate appearances reaching base. The two-way phenomenon had smashed two homers and got on base a record nine times in the Los Angeles' third game comeback win. But on that night, he started on limited rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the prior extra-inning game.

Ohtani fastball velocity was below his seasonal norm and he struggled more as the contest progressed. Nonetheless, he displayed glimpses of his usual control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and fanning six. He even walked in the first inning to extend his World Series streak. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six base hits and four earned runs were charged to him in over six innings.

Seventh Inning Rally

The bigger problem for Los Angeles was what followed when Ohtani finally lost energy.

Varsho started the seventh with a clean single to right, and Ernie Clement smashed a double off the fence to put runners on with none out. Roberts had little choice but to remove the starter, who departed to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Dodgers' relief corps could not finish the inning.

Anthony Banda inherited the jam and right away fell behind. Giménez battled to a full count before scoring Varsho with a base hit to left. Ty France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock Banda out of the game. Treinen entered next but also was unable to stop the rally: Bichette and Addison Barger hit run-scoring singles through the infield, capping a four-score outburst that extended the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Toronto's capacity to withstand initial blows and answer has characterized their whole postseason. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the injured leadoff hitter who left the third game after straining his right side.

Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what the Blue Jays needed. Traded for mid-season while finishing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the former award-winning winner left multiple runners and silenced the Dodgers' dangerous lineup. He gave up one run on four base hits and three free passes before Schneider called on first-year pitcher Mason Fluharty to confront the heart of the lineup in the sixth. Fluharty needed just four throws to get out Max Muncy and Edman, preserving a fragile lead that soon grew safe.

Converted starting pitcher Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' bats continued to sputter. The Dodgers have produced only three scores over their previous 20 frames, an sudden slowdown for a club that ranked among MLB's top offenses all season.

Final Moments

The Dodgers scraped a run in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman grounded out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's two-base hit put two aboard. But Louis Varland closed it down without allowing a comeback to build.

After a night when Toronto left a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and fell apart after repeated of missed chances, the fourth contest was brutally efficient. Six different Toronto players collected base hits, 5 brought home runs and the squad converted almost every run-scoring chance available in the late innings.

Next Up

The victory ensures the championship title will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not won a title since Joe Carter's famous game-winning home run in 1993. They now are aware they are guaranteed a full house in Toronto on Friday evening – and perhaps the next day – no matter what occurs next in LA.

Game 5 approaches with the matchup reset and energy shifting north. Los Angeles pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Toronto's momentum. Toronto respond with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Toronto chased Snell early in an decisive win.