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Less than a day following staggering through one of the most exhausting defeats in Fall Classic history, the Blue Jays played with total control.

Guerrero crushed a two-run homer and Bieber delivered a composed outing as Toronto beat 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 Canada.

The Blue Jays had spent the early hours of the next day dealing with their marathon third game defeat – equal to the longest World Series game ever – a defeat that denied them the opportunity to lead the series and burned through both relief corps. Manager John Schneider insisted afterwards that “the Dodgers took a game, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad provided emphatic evidence.

Early Action

The Dodgers again scored first. Max Muncy walked in the second inning, moved up on a base hit and scored on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early score did not rattle a Toronto club that topped Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind victories this season.

They responded immediately in the third inning. Nathan Lukes lined a one away base hit to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate looking for a curveball. Ohtani threw a sweeper up and Guerrero sent it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his initial extra-base hit of the World Series and his seventh home run this playoffs – a new team mark – restoring the Blue Jays's lead after 13 scoreless innings and shifting the tone of the night.

Shohei's Performance

That hit also ended Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 straight at-bats getting on base. The two-way phenomenon had hit two homers and reached safely a historic nine times in the Dodgers' third game comeback win. But on that night, he took the mound on limited rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the previous marathon.

His pitch speed was below his regular-season norm and he struggled more as the game progressed. Nonetheless, he displayed flashes of his typical command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and striking out six. He even walked in the first inning to extend his Fall Classic streak. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six hits and four runs were charged to him in six-plus frames.

Late Game Rally

The bigger issue for the Dodgers was what came next when Ohtani finally ran out of steam.

Varsho started the seventh with a clean hit to right field, and Clement smashed a double off the wall to put runners on with no outs. Dave Roberts had little choice but to remove the starter, who exited to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not finish the escape.

Anthony Banda came into the jam and right away fell behind. Giménez battled to a full count before driving in Varsho with a base hit to left. Ty France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove the pitcher out of the game. Blake Treinen came in next but also was unable to stop the momentum: Bo Bichette and Barger punched RBI base hits through the diamond, capping a four-run outburst that extended the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Blue Jays's ability to absorb early setbacks and respond has defined their whole postseason. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the injured top-of-the-order hitter who exited the third game after straining his oblique.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was everything Toronto required. Acquired mid-season while completing rehab from elbow surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner stranded multiple baserunners and quieted the Los Angeles' dangerous lineup. He allowed one earned run on four base hits and three walks before the manager called on rookie left-hander Fluharty to confront the heart of the lineup in the sixth. Fluharty required just 4 throws to get out Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a narrow advantage that quickly became comfortable.

Converted starter Chris Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' offense continued to struggle. The Dodgers have scored only three scores over their previous 20 innings, an abrupt downturn for a club that was among MLB's top lineups all season.

Final Moments

The Los Angeles scraped a run in the ninth when Edman hit into an out to score Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Muncy's two-base hit put two on base. But Varland closed it down without allowing a comeback to build.

Following a game when the Blue Jays stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and fell apart after repeated of wasted opportunities, Game 4 was brutally efficient. 6 separate Blue Jays collected base hits, 5 brought home scores and the team converted nearly every scoring opportunity available in the late stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The win ensures the World Series trophy will be presented at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not won a championship since Joe Carter's iconic walk-off home run in '93. They now are aware they are guaranteed a packed crowd in Canada on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 approaches with the matchup even and momentum swinging north. Dodgers left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Blue Jays's momentum. The Blue Jays counter with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Toronto knocked out the starter quickly in an decisive victory.