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

Guerrero smashed a two-run home run and Bieber delivered a composed outing as Toronto beat the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, squaring the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and ensuring the series will return to Canada.

Toronto had passed the morning of the next day processing their marathon third game defeat – tied for the lengthiest World Series game ever – a loss that denied them the opportunity to lead the matchup and depleted both bullpens. Skipper John Schneider insisted later that “they won a contest, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his team provided convincing proof.

Early Action

The Los Angeles again struck first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, moved up on a base hit and scored on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial breakthrough did not rattle a Blue Jays club that led MLB with 49 come-from-behind wins this season.

They responded immediately in the third. Lukes lined a one-out base hit to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate hunting a curveball. Ohtani threw a slider up and he drove it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his initial long hit of the series and his seventh homer this playoffs – a new club mark – restoring the Toronto's lead after 13 shutout frames and shifting the momentum of the game.

Ohtani's Performance

That swing also ended Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 consecutive at-bats getting on base. The two-way star had hit two homers 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 requiring an IV to recover from the previous extra-inning game.

His pitch speed was under his regular-season average and he labored more as the contest progressed. Nonetheless, he displayed flashes of his typical command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and striking out six. He even walked in the first inning to continue his World Series record. But the Toronto made him work: six hits and four runs were charged to him in six-plus frames.

Seventh Inning Rally

The bigger issue for Los Angeles was what came next when he eventually ran out of energy.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh inning with a clean single to right field, and Clement smashed a double off the fence to put two on with no outs. Dave Roberts had no option but to pull Ohtani, who departed to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Dodgers' bullpen could not finish the escape.

Banda came into the mess and immediately trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez fought to a full count before scoring the runner with a base hit to left field. France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove the pitcher out of the contest. Blake Treinen entered next but also failed to stop the rally: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger punched run-scoring singles through the infield, capping a four-score outburst that extended the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Toronto's ability to withstand early blows and answer has characterized their entire run. They once again succeeded without Springer, the injured top-of-the-order hitter who left Game 3 after tweaking his right side.

Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what Toronto needed. Acquired during the summer while completing rehab from elbow surgery, the former award-winning winner left several baserunners and quieted the Dodgers' dangerous batting order. He gave up one run on four hits and three walks before the manager summoned rookie left-hander Fluharty to face the core of the order in the sixth. He needed just four throws to retire Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a narrow advantage that quickly became comfortable.

Former starter Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' offense kept to sputter. The Dodgers have scored only 3 scores over their last 20 frames, an abrupt downturn for a team that was among MLB's top lineups all year.

Final Moments

The Dodgers managed a score in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman grounded out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Muncy's two-base hit put runners aboard. But Varland finished the game without allowing a rally to develop.

Following a night when the Blue Jays left a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and collapsed after wave upon wave of wasted chances, Game 4 was ruthlessly efficient. Six separate Blue Jays collected hits, five drove in scores and the team converted nearly every run-scoring chance presented in the late stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The victory guarantees the championship trophy will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not won a championship since Carter's famous game-winning home run in '93. They now are aware they are guaranteed a packed house in Canada on Friday night – and perhaps the next day – no matter what occurs next in LA.

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