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Less than a day following staggering through one of the most draining losses in World Series history, the Blue Jays displayed total command.

Guerrero crushed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber delivered a composed outing as Toronto defeated the Los Angeles 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 head back to Canada.

Toronto had spent the morning of Tuesday dealing with their marathon Game 3 loss – equal to the longest World Series game ever – a loss that denied them the chance to lead the matchup and depleted both relief corps. Manager John Schneider insisted later that “the Dodgers won a game, not the World Series”. A day later, his team offered emphatic evidence.

Early Action

The Los Angeles again scored first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second, moved up on a base hit and scored on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the early score did not shake a Blue Jays team that led Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind wins this season.

They answered right away in the third inning. Nathan Lukes hit a one away single to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate looking for a curveball. Ohtani left a sweeper up and he sent it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his initial extra-base hit of the series and his seventh home run this postseason – a new team record – regaining the Toronto's advantage after 13 scoreless innings and shifting the tone of the night.

Ohtani's Night

That hit also halted Ohtani's history-making run of 11 straight plate appearances getting on base. The dual-threat phenomenon had hit two home runs and reached safely a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' third game walk-off. But on that night, he took the mound on short rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the prior marathon.

Ohtani pitch speed was below his regular-season average and he labored more as the game wore on. Even so, he showed glimpses of his usual command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first to extend his Fall Classic streak. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six hits and four runs were charged to him in over six frames.

Late Game Surge

The bigger problem for the Dodgers was what came next when he finally lost energy.

Varsho opened the seventh with a sharp hit to right field, and Clement drilled a two-base hit off the fence to put two on with no outs. Dave Roberts had little choice but to pull the starter, who departed to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not complete the inning.

Anthony Banda came into the mess and immediately trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez battled to a full count before scoring the runner with a base hit to left. France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove Banda out of the contest. Blake Treinen entered next but also failed to stem the momentum: Bichette and Addison Barger punched run-scoring base hits through the infield, capping a four-run barrage that extended the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Blue Jays's ability to absorb initial blows and answer has defined their entire run. They once again did it without Springer, the injured leadoff man who exited Game 3 after straining his oblique.

Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what Toronto needed. Traded for during the summer while completing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the former award-winning winner left multiple baserunners and quieted the Los Angeles' potent batting order. He allowed one run on four hits and three free passes before the manager called on rookie left-hander Fluharty to confront the core of the order in the sixth. He needed just four throws to get out Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a narrow advantage that soon became comfortable.

Former starting pitcher Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' bats kept to sputter. The Dodgers have produced only three runs over their previous 20 innings, an sudden slowdown for a team that ranked among MLB's top lineups all season.

Closing Innings

The Dodgers managed a score in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman hit into an out to score 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.

After a night when the Blue Jays stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and collapsed after repeated of missed chances, the fourth contest was brutally efficient. 6 separate Blue Jays recorded base hits, 5 drove in runs and the team converted almost every scoring opportunity presented in the final stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The victory guarantees the championship trophy will be presented at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not celebrated a championship since Carter's iconic walk-off home run in '93. They now are aware they are assured a packed crowd in Toronto on Friday night – and possibly Saturday – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game approaches with the matchup even and energy shifting north. Los Angeles left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Toronto's surge. Toronto counter with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Blue Jays chased Snell quickly in an 11-4 victory.