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Only 24 hours after enduring one of the most exhausting defeats in World Series annals, the Blue Jays displayed complete control.

Guerrero crushed a two-run homer and Bieber delivered a steady outing as the Blue Jays defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, tying the World Series at two wins apiece and ensuring the matchup will return to Canada.

The Blue Jays had spent the morning of the next day dealing with their marathon third game defeat – equal to the longest Fall Classic contest ever – a loss that denied them the chance to lead the matchup and burned through both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider insisted afterwards that “the Dodgers won a game, not the championship”. A day later, his squad provided emphatic evidence.

Initial Innings

The Dodgers again struck first. Max Muncy walked in the second, advanced on a base hit and scored on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the initial breakthrough did not rattle a Blue Jays team that led MLB with 49 comeback victories this year.

They answered right away in the third inning. Lukes hit a one-out single to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate looking for a curveball. Shohei Ohtani threw 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 7th homer this playoffs – a fresh team mark – restoring the Blue Jays's lead after 13 shutout innings and changing the tone of the game.

Shohei's Night

That swing also ended Shohei Ohtani's history-making run of 11 straight plate appearances getting on base. The dual-threat star had smashed two homers and got on base a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 walk-off. But on that night, he took the mound on limited rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the prior marathon.

His pitch speed was below his seasonal average and he labored more as the game wore on. Even so, he showed flashes of his typical command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first to continue his Fall Classic streak. But the Toronto made him work: six hits and four earned runs were credited to him in over six frames.

Late Game Surge

The larger issue for Los Angeles was what came next when Ohtani finally lost energy.

Varsho opened the seventh with a clean single to right, and Ernie Clement drilled a double off the wall to put two on with none out. Dave Roberts had no option but to remove the starter, who departed to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Dodgers' relief corps could not complete the escape.

Anthony Banda inherited the jam and right away fell behind. Giménez fought to a full count before scoring Varsho with a single to left. Ty France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock the pitcher out of the game. Blake Treinen entered next but also was unable to stop the rally: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger punched RBI singles through the diamond, capping a four-score outburst that extended the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Blue Jays's capacity to absorb initial blows and answer has characterized their whole run. They once again did it without George Springer, the injured leadoff man who exited the third game after straining his right side.

Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what the Blue Jays needed. Traded for mid-season while completing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner stranded multiple runners and quieted the Dodgers' dangerous batting order. He gave up one run on four hits and three walks before the manager called on first-year left-hander Mason Fluharty to confront the heart of the order in the sixth. Fluharty needed just four pitches to get out Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a fragile advantage that quickly grew safe.

Converted starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' bats continued to sputter. Los Angeles have produced only three scores over their last 20 innings, an abrupt downturn for a club that ranked among baseball's top lineups all year.

Closing Moments

The Los Angeles scraped a score in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman hit into an out to bring home Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's double put runners on base. But Varland closed it down without permitting a rally to build.

Following a night when Toronto stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and fell apart after repeated of wasted opportunities, Game 4 was brutally effective. 6 different Blue Jays recorded hits, five drove in scores and the team cashed almost every scoring chance available in the late stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The victory guarantees the World Series title will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a championship since Joe Carter's famous game-winning home run in 1993. They now know they are guaranteed a packed house in Toronto on Friday night – and possibly Saturday – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game approaches with the series even and energy swinging to Toronto. Los Angeles left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Toronto's momentum. The Blue Jays counter with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Blue Jays knocked out the starter quickly in an 11-4 victory.