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Only 24 hours after staggering through one of the most exhausting losses in Fall Classic annals, the Blue Jays displayed total command.

Guerrero crushed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber provided a steady outing as Toronto defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, tying the Fall Classic at two games each and ensuring the matchup will return to Canada.

Toronto had passed the early hours of the next day processing their 18-inning third game defeat – equal to the lengthiest Fall Classic game ever – a defeat that denied them the opportunity to take the lead in the series and depleted both bullpens. Manager John Schneider insisted later that “they won a game, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad offered convincing proof.

Early Innings

The Dodgers again struck first. Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, advanced on a base hit and scored on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the early breakthrough did not shake a Blue Jays club that topped MLB with 49 comeback victories this year.

They answered right away in the third. Nathan Lukes hit a one away single to center field and Guerrero came to the plate hunting a breaking ball. Ohtani left a sweeper up and Guerrero drove it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his first extra-base hit of the series and his seventh home run this postseason – a new club record – restoring the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 shutout innings and shifting the tone of the game.

Shohei's Performance

That hit also ended Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 consecutive plate appearances reaching base. The dual-threat star had smashed two home runs and reached safely a record nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 walk-off. But on Tuesday, he started on short rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the prior extra-inning game.

His fastball velocity was under his seasonal average and he struggled more as the contest progressed. Nonetheless, he displayed glimpses of his typical control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first to continue his Fall Classic streak. But the Toronto made him work: six hits and four runs were charged to him in over six frames.

Late Game Surge

The larger problem for Los Angeles was what followed when he finally lost energy.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh inning with a sharp single to right, and Ernie Clement smashed a double off the wall to put runners on with none out. Roberts had little choice but to pull the starter, who departed to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not finish the inning.

Anthony Banda came into the mess and immediately trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before driving in the runner with a single to left. France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove the pitcher out of the game. Blake Treinen came in next but also was unable to stem the rally: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger hit run-scoring base hits through the diamond, completing a four-run barrage that extended the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Blue Jays's ability to absorb early setbacks and answer has characterized their entire postseason. They once again succeeded without Springer, the injured leadoff man who exited the third game after tweaking his oblique.

Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what the Blue Jays required. Acquired during the summer while finishing recovery from elbow surgery, the former Cy Young winner stranded several baserunners and quieted the Los Angeles' potent batting order. He gave up one earned run on four hits and three free passes before Schneider called on rookie left-hander Fluharty to confront the core of the lineup in the sixth inning. He needed just four throws to retire Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a narrow advantage that quickly became safe.

Converted starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' bats continued to sputter. The Dodgers have scored only three scores over their last 20 innings, an abrupt downturn for a club that ranked among baseball's top lineups all season.

Final Moments

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

Following a game when Toronto stranded a World Series-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after repeated of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was brutally effective. Six separate Toronto players recorded hits, five brought home runs and the team cashed nearly every run-scoring opportunity presented in the late innings.

Next Up

The win guarantees the World Series title will be presented at their home stadium, 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 full crowd in Canada on Friday night – and perhaps the next day – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game looms with the matchup reset and momentum swinging to Toronto. Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Blue Jays's surge. Toronto respond with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Blue Jays knocked out Snell quickly in an 11-4 win.