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Less than a day following enduring one of the most draining defeats in World Series annals, the Blue Jays played with complete control.

Guerrero crushed a two-run homer and Bieber provided a composed start 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 return to Canada.

Toronto had spent the morning of the next day processing their marathon third game defeat – tied for the lengthiest World Series contest ever – a defeat that cost them the chance to lead the series and depleted both bullpens. Manager John Schneider insisted afterwards that “they won a contest, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his team offered convincing proof.

Early Innings

The Los Angeles again scored first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second, moved up on a base hit and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial score did not rattle a Toronto club that topped MLB with 49 comeback victories this season.

They answered immediately in the third. Nathan Lukes hit a one away base hit to center field and Guerrero came to the plate looking for a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani threw a slider up and Guerrero sent it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his first extra-base hit of the series and his seventh homer this playoffs – a new team record – restoring the Toronto's lead after 13 shutout frames and changing the tone of the night.

Shohei's Night

That hit also halted Shohei Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 straight plate appearances getting on base. The two-way star had hit two home runs and got on base a record nine times in the Los Angeles' third game comeback win. But on that night, he started on short rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the previous extra-inning game.

His pitch speed sat under his regular-season norm and he labored more as the contest wore on. Nonetheless, 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 continue his Fall Classic streak. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six base hits and four runs were charged to him in over six innings.

Seventh Inning Rally

The bigger issue for Los Angeles was what followed when Ohtani finally ran out of energy.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh with a sharp hit to right field, and Clement smashed a two-base hit off the wall to put two on with no outs. Roberts had little choice but to pull Ohtani, who exited to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not complete the inning.

Anthony Banda came into the jam and right away trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez battled to a full count before scoring Varsho with a single to left field. France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock Banda out of the game. Treinen came in next but also failed to stop the rally: Bichette and Addison Barger punched run-scoring base hits through the diamond, capping a four-score barrage that extended the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Blue Jays's ability to withstand early blows and respond has defined their entire postseason. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the hurt leadoff hitter who exited Game 3 after tweaking his oblique.

Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what Toronto needed. Acquired during the summer while completing recovery from elbow surgery, the former award-winning winner left multiple runners and silenced the Dodgers' potent batting order. He allowed one run on four hits and three free passes before the manager summoned first-year left-hander Mason Fluharty to face the heart of the order in the sixth inning. Fluharty needed just 4 throws to retire Muncy and Edman, preserving a narrow advantage that quickly became comfortable.

Former starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' bats kept to sputter. The Dodgers have scored only 3 runs over their previous 20 innings, an abrupt slowdown for a club that ranked among MLB's top lineups all year.

Closing Moments

The Dodgers scraped a run in the ninth inning when Edman grounded out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's two-base hit put two on base. But Louis Varland closed it down without allowing a rally to build.

After a night when Toronto stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and fell apart after wave upon wave of wasted chances, the fourth contest was ruthlessly efficient. Six different Toronto players recorded base hits, 5 drove in runs and the squad cashed nearly every run-scoring opportunity available in the late stanzas.

Next Up

The win ensures the championship trophy will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not won a championship since Carter's famous walk-off homer in 1993. They now know they are assured a packed house in Toronto on Friday evening – and possibly Saturday – no matter what occurs next in LA.

Game 5 approaches with the matchup reset and energy swinging north. Los Angeles left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Toronto's momentum. The Blue Jays counter with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Blue Jays chased the starter quickly in an 11-4 win.