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Less than a day following enduring one of the most exhausting losses in World Series history, the Blue Jays displayed complete control.

Guerrero crushed a two-run homer and Shane 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 World Series at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the series will return to Toronto.

Toronto had spent the morning of the next day dealing with their 18-inning Game 3 loss – tied for the longest Fall Classic game ever – a loss that cost them the opportunity to lead the matchup and depleted both relief corps. Skipper Schneider stated afterwards that “the Dodgers took a game, not the World Series”. A day later, his team offered convincing proof.

Initial Action

The Dodgers again scored first. Max Muncy walked in the second inning, advanced on a base hit and scored on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the early breakthrough did not rattle a Blue Jays team that led Major League Baseball with 49 comeback wins this season.

They responded immediately in the third. Lukes hit a one-out base hit to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in hunting a breaking ball. Ohtani threw a sweeper up and he drove it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his first long hit of the series and his seventh homer this postseason – a new team mark – regaining the Blue Jays's lead after 13 scoreless innings and changing the momentum of the game.

Ohtani's Performance

That swing also halted Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 straight at-bats getting on base. The two-way star had smashed two home runs and reached safely a record nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 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 extra-inning game.

His pitch speed sat under his regular-season norm and he struggled more as the game wore on. Even so, he displayed glimpses of his typical control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and striking out six. He even walked in the first inning to continue his Fall Classic streak. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six base hits and four runs were credited to him in over six innings.

Seventh Inning Rally

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

Varsho started the seventh inning with a clean single to right, and Clement smashed a double off the fence to put two on with none out. Dave Roberts had no option but to remove the starter, who departed to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Dodgers' relief corps could not complete the escape.

Banda came into the jam and immediately trailed in the count. Giménez battled to a full count before scoring the runner with a single to left. Ty France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove the pitcher out of the game. Blake Treinen came in next but also was unable to stop the rally: Bo Bichette and Barger hit run-scoring singles through the infield, capping a four-score barrage that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Toronto's capacity to absorb initial blows and respond has characterized their entire run. They once again succeeded without Springer, the injured leadoff man who exited the third game after tweaking his right side.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what the Blue Jays required. Acquired mid-season while completing recovery from elbow surgery, the former award-winning winner left several baserunners and quieted the Los Angeles' potent lineup. He allowed one earned run on four base hits and three walks before Schneider summoned rookie pitcher Fluharty to confront the core of the lineup in the sixth inning. Fluharty needed just 4 pitches to retire Max Muncy and Edman, preserving a narrow lead that quickly grew comfortable.

Converted starter Chris Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' offense kept to struggle. The Dodgers have scored only three scores over their previous 20 frames, an sudden slowdown for a club that ranked among MLB's top lineups all season.

Closing Innings

The Dodgers scraped a score in the ninth when Tommy Edman grounded out to score Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Muncy's two-base hit put two aboard. But Louis Varland finished the game without allowing a comeback to develop.

Following a night when Toronto left a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and collapsed after wave upon wave of wasted opportunities, Game 4 was brutally efficient. 6 separate Toronto players collected hits, 5 brought home runs and the team cashed almost every run-scoring chance available in the final stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The victory guarantees the championship trophy will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not won a championship since Joe Carter's iconic game-winning home run in 1993. They now are aware they are assured a full house in Toronto on Friday evening – and perhaps the next day – no matter what occurs next in LA.

Game 5 approaches with the matchup reset and energy swinging to Toronto. Dodgers left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt 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 Blue Jays knocked out the starter quickly in an decisive win.