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

Guerrero smashed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber provided a steady start as Toronto beat the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, tying 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 18-inning third game defeat – tied for the longest Fall Classic contest ever – a loss that denied them the chance to lead the matchup and depleted both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider insisted afterwards that “the Dodgers won a game, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad provided convincing evidence.

Early Action

The Los Angeles again scored first. Muncy walked in the second, advanced on a base hit and scored on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the initial score did not shake a Toronto team that led Major League Baseball with 49 comeback victories this year.

They answered right away in the third inning. Lukes lined a one away base hit to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate looking for a breaking ball. Ohtani left a slider up and he sent it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his initial long hit of the World Series and his seventh homer this postseason – a fresh club mark – restoring the Toronto's advantage after 13 shutout innings and changing the tone of the night.

Ohtani's Performance

That swing also halted Shohei Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 straight plate appearances reaching base. The dual-threat phenomenon had smashed two home runs and got on base a historic nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 walk-off. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on limited rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the prior marathon.

His fastball velocity was under his regular-season norm and he labored more as the contest progressed. Even so, he showed glimpses of his typical command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and striking out six. He even walked in the first to extend his World Series streak. But the Toronto made him work: six hits and four runs were credited to him in six-plus frames.

Late Game Surge

The bigger problem for the Dodgers was what followed when Ohtani eventually lost steam.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh inning with a sharp single 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 remove Ohtani, who exited to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not complete the escape.

Banda came into the jam and immediately fell behind. Giménez fought to a full count before scoring the runner with a base hit to left. France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove the pitcher out of the game. Treinen came in next but also failed to stem the rally: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger punched RBI base hits through the infield, capping a four-run outburst that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Blue Jays's ability to absorb early setbacks and respond has defined their whole run. They once again succeeded without Springer, the injured top-of-the-order hitter who exited Game 3 after straining his oblique.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what Toronto required. Acquired mid-season while finishing recovery from elbow surgery, the former Cy Young winner left several baserunners and silenced the Los Angeles' potent batting order. He gave up one earned run on four hits and three free passes before the manager called on rookie left-hander Mason Fluharty to confront the core of the order in the sixth. He required just four throws to get out Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a fragile lead that quickly became safe.

Converted starter Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' offense kept to sputter. Los Angeles have scored only three scores over their previous 20 frames, an sudden downturn for a team that ranked among MLB's elite lineups all year.

Final Innings

The Los Angeles managed a run in the ninth when Tommy Edman hit into an out to score Hernández after a walk and Muncy's double put two aboard. But Varland finished the game without permitting a rally to build.

Following a night when the Blue Jays left a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after wave upon wave of missed chances, the fourth contest was brutally efficient. 6 separate Toronto players collected base hits, five drove in runs and the team converted nearly every scoring chance presented in the late innings.

Next Up

The win guarantees the championship trophy will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a title since Joe Carter's iconic walk-off 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.

Game 5 looms with the series even and energy swinging to Toronto. Los Angeles pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Toronto's momentum. Toronto counter 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 11-4 win.