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Only 24 hours following enduring one of the most draining losses in World Series annals, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed total command.

Guerrero crushed a two-run homer and Bieber provided a composed start as the Blue Jays beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, squaring the World Series at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the series will return to Toronto.

Toronto had spent the morning of Tuesday dealing with their marathon third game defeat – equal to the lengthiest World Series game ever – a loss that cost them the opportunity to take the lead in the matchup and burned through both bullpens. Skipper Schneider insisted later that “they won a contest, not the World Series”. A day later, his squad offered emphatic evidence.

Early Innings

The Dodgers again struck first. Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, moved up on a single and scored on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early score did not shake a Blue Jays club that led MLB with 49 come-from-behind wins this season.

They answered immediately in the third. Lukes hit a one away base hit to center field and Guerrero came to the plate looking for a breaking ball. Ohtani threw a sweeper up and Guerrero sent it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his first long hit of the World Series and his seventh home run this postseason – a fresh team mark – restoring the Toronto's advantage after 13 shutout frames and shifting the momentum of the game.

Shohei's Performance

That hit also halted Ohtani's history-making run of 11 consecutive plate appearances getting on base. The dual-threat phenomenon had smashed two homers and got on base a historic nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 walk-off. But on Tuesday, he started on short rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the previous marathon.

His fastball velocity sat under his regular-season average and he struggled more as the contest wore on. Even so, he displayed flashes of his usual control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first to continue his Fall Classic record. But the Toronto made him work: six base hits and four earned runs were charged to him in over six innings.

Seventh Inning Surge

The bigger issue for the Dodgers was what followed when he eventually lost steam.

Varsho started the seventh with a sharp hit to right, and Clement smashed a two-base hit off the wall to put runners on with none out. 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 inning.

Anthony Banda inherited the mess and right away fell behind. Giménez battled to a full count before driving in the runner with a single to left field. Ty France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove Banda out of the game. Treinen came in next but also was unable to stop the momentum: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger punched run-scoring base hits through the infield, completing a four-run outburst that extended the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Blue Jays's capacity to withstand initial blows and respond has characterized their entire run. They once again succeeded without Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order man who exited Game 3 after straining his right side.

Bieber, meanwhile, was everything the Blue Jays needed. Acquired mid-season while finishing recovery from elbow surgery, the former award-winning winner stranded multiple runners and quieted the Dodgers' dangerous batting order. He allowed one run on four base hits and three walks before the manager called on first-year left-hander Fluharty to confront the heart of the order in the sixth. Fluharty required just four throws to retire Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a fragile advantage that soon became safe.

Converted starter Chris Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' bats kept to sputter. Los Angeles have produced only three scores over their last 20 frames, an abrupt downturn for a club that ranked among baseball's top offenses all year.

Final Innings

The Los Angeles managed a run in the ninth when Tommy Edman grounded out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's two-base hit put two on base. But Varland finished the game without allowing a rally to build.

After a game when the Blue Jays left a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after wave upon wave of wasted chances, the fourth contest was ruthlessly effective. 6 different Blue Jays collected base hits, five brought home scores and the team converted nearly every run-scoring chance available in the late stanzas.

Next Up

The win ensures the championship title will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not won a title since Joe Carter's iconic walk-off homer in 1993. They now are aware they are assured a packed crowd in Toronto on Friday night – and possibly Saturday – no matter what occurs next in LA.

Game 5 approaches with the series even and energy shifting to Toronto. Los Angeles pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Blue Jays's momentum. Toronto respond with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Toronto chased the starter quickly in an 11-4 victory.