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Less than a day following enduring one of the most exhausting losses in Fall Classic history, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed complete command.

Guerrero smashed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber delivered a composed outing as Toronto defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, tying the World Series at two games each and ensuring the matchup will return to Canada.

Toronto had passed the early hours of Tuesday processing their marathon Game 3 loss – tied for the longest Fall Classic game ever – a defeat that cost them the opportunity to take the lead in the matchup and depleted both relief corps. Manager John Schneider stated later that “they took a game, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his team provided emphatic proof.

Initial Action

The Dodgers again scored first. Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, advanced on a base hit and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the initial breakthrough did not shake a Toronto club that led Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind victories this season.

They responded immediately in the third. Lukes hit a one away base hit to center field and Guerrero stepped in looking for a breaking ball. Ohtani threw a slider up and he drove it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his initial long hit of the World Series and his seventh homer this postseason – a new club record – restoring the Toronto's advantage after 13 shutout frames and shifting the tone of the night.

Ohtani's Night

That swing also ended Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 consecutive plate appearances reaching base. The two-way star had smashed two home runs and got on base a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 walk-off. But on Tuesday, he started on limited rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the prior extra-inning game.

His fastball velocity was under his regular-season norm and he struggled more as the contest wore on. Even so, he displayed glimpses of his usual command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first to continue his Fall Classic record. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six hits and four earned runs were charged to him in over six frames.

Seventh Inning Rally

The bigger issue 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 two on with none out. Roberts had little choice but to pull Ohtani, who departed to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Dodgers' relief corps could not finish the escape.

Banda inherited the mess and immediately trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez battled to a full count before driving in the runner with a base hit to left field. France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock Banda out of the game. Blake Treinen entered next but also failed to stem the momentum: Bichette and Addison Barger punched run-scoring base hits through the diamond, completing a four-score outburst that extended the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Toronto's capacity to withstand early setbacks and respond has characterized their entire postseason. They once again did it without Springer, the hurt leadoff man who exited the third game after straining his oblique.

Bieber, in contrast, was everything the Blue Jays required. Traded for mid-season while finishing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the former Cy Young winner left several baserunners and quieted the Los Angeles' dangerous batting order. He gave up one run on four hits and three walks before Schneider called on first-year pitcher Mason Fluharty to confront the heart of the lineup in the sixth inning. He needed just 4 pitches to retire Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a narrow advantage that soon grew comfortable.

Converted starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' bats kept to struggle. The Dodgers have produced only three runs over their previous 20 innings, an abrupt downturn for a team that was among baseball's top offenses all season.

Closing Moments

The Dodgers scraped a run in the ninth inning when Edman hit into an out to score Hernández after a walk and Muncy's double put runners on base. But Varland closed it down without allowing a comeback to develop.

After a game when the Blue Jays left a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after repeated of wasted chances, the fourth contest was brutally efficient. Six separate Blue Jays collected base hits, 5 drove in scores and the team converted almost every scoring opportunity available in the late stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The victory ensures the championship title will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not won a championship since Joe Carter's iconic game-winning homer in '93. They now are aware they are guaranteed a packed house in Toronto on Friday evening – and possibly the next day – no matter what happens next in LA.

Game 5 looms with the series even and energy swinging to Toronto. Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt 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 Snell quickly in an decisive win.