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Less than a day after enduring one of the most draining defeats in Fall Classic annals, the Toronto Blue Jays played with complete control.

Guerrero smashed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber delivered a composed outing as the Blue Jays defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, tying the Fall Classic at two games each and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had spent the early hours of Tuesday dealing with their 18-inning third game defeat – tied for the lengthiest World Series game ever – a defeat that denied them the opportunity to lead the matchup and depleted both relief corps. Manager Schneider stated later that “the Dodgers took a contest, not the World Series”. A day later, his squad offered convincing evidence.

Early Action

The Los Angeles again scored first. Muncy drew a walk in the second, advanced on a single and scored on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial score did not rattle a Toronto club that topped MLB with 49 comeback wins this year.

They answered immediately in the third. Nathan Lukes lined a one-out single to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate looking for a curveball. Ohtani threw a slider up and he sent it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his initial extra-base hit of the series and his seventh homer this postseason – a fresh club record – regaining the Toronto's advantage after 13 shutout frames and changing the momentum of the night.

Shohei's Performance

That hit also ended Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 straight at-bats getting on base. The dual-threat star had smashed two home runs and reached safely a record nine times in the Los Angeles' third game walk-off. But on that night, he started on limited rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the previous marathon.

Ohtani pitch speed was under his seasonal average and he struggled more as the contest progressed. Nonetheless, he displayed flashes of his typical command, 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 record. But the Blue Jays made him work: six base hits and four earned runs were charged to him in over six frames.

Late Game Rally

The bigger issue for Los Angeles was what followed when Ohtani eventually ran out of steam.

Varsho started the seventh with a clean hit to right field, and Ernie 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 departed to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Dodgers' relief corps could not finish the inning.

Banda inherited the mess and right away trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez battled to a full count before scoring the runner with a single to left field. France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock the pitcher out of the contest. Treinen entered next but also failed to stem the rally: Bichette and Barger hit RBI singles through the diamond, completing a four-run outburst that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Toronto's ability to absorb initial blows and answer has characterized their whole postseason. They once again did it without Springer, the injured leadoff man who left Game 3 after straining his right side.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what Toronto needed. Acquired during the summer while finishing recovery from elbow surgery, the former award-winning winner left multiple baserunners and silenced the Dodgers' dangerous batting order. He gave up one earned run on four base hits and three walks before the manager called on first-year pitcher Fluharty to confront the core of the order in the sixth inning. He required just four pitches to retire Muncy and Edman, protecting a narrow lead that quickly grew safe.

Former starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' bats kept to sputter. Los Angeles have scored only 3 runs over their last 20 innings, an sudden slowdown for a team that was among MLB's elite offenses all year.

Final Innings

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

After a night when Toronto left a World Series-record 19 runners and collapsed after wave upon wave of missed chances, the fourth contest was brutally effective. Six separate Toronto players recorded base hits, five brought home scores and the squad converted almost every scoring opportunity available in the final innings.

Next Up

The victory guarantees the World Series trophy will be presented at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not won a title since Carter's iconic game-winning home run in 1993. They now are aware they are assured a full house in Toronto on Friday night – and possibly the next day – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game looms with the series reset and momentum shifting to Toronto. Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt 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 Toronto knocked out the starter early in an 11-4 victory.