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Only 24 hours following staggering through one of the most exhausting losses in World Series history, the Toronto Blue Jays played with total command.

Guerrero crushed a two-run home run and Bieber delivered a composed start as the Blue Jays defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, tying the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and ensuring the series will head back to Toronto.

Toronto had spent the morning of the next day dealing with their marathon Game 3 loss – tied for the longest Fall Classic game ever – a defeat that cost them the opportunity to take the lead in the series and depleted both bullpens. Manager John Schneider stated later that “they won a game, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad provided convincing proof.

Early Innings

The Los Angeles again scored first. Max Muncy walked in the second inning, moved up on a single and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the initial score did not shake a Blue Jays club that topped Major League Baseball with 49 comeback wins this year.

They responded right away in the third. Nathan Lukes hit a one-out single to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in hunting a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani left a slider up and Guerrero drove it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his first extra-base hit of the series and his seventh home run this postseason – a fresh club record – regaining the Blue Jays's lead after 13 shutout frames and shifting the momentum of the night.

Shohei's Night

That swing also halted Shohei Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 consecutive plate appearances reaching base. The dual-threat phenomenon 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 short rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the prior extra-inning game.

Ohtani fastball velocity sat under his regular-season average and he labored more as the contest progressed. Nonetheless, he showed glimpses of his usual control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and striking out six. He even walked in the first inning to extend his World Series streak. But the Blue Jays made him work: six base hits and four runs were charged to him in over six frames.

Seventh Inning Rally

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

Varsho opened the seventh with a sharp single to right, and Ernie Clement drilled a double off the wall to put two on with no outs. Roberts had little choice but to pull Ohtani, who departed to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Dodgers' bullpen could not complete the escape.

Banda came into the jam and immediately trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before scoring Varsho with a base hit to left field. France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove the pitcher out of the game. Blake Treinen entered next but also was unable to stop the momentum: Bichette and Addison Barger punched run-scoring singles through the diamond, capping a four-run barrage that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Toronto's capacity to absorb early blows and respond has defined their entire run. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the injured top-of-the-order hitter who exited Game 3 after straining his right side.

Bieber, in contrast, was everything Toronto required. Acquired during the summer while finishing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the former award-winning winner stranded several runners and quieted the Los Angeles' dangerous lineup. He allowed one run on four base hits and three walks before the manager called on rookie pitcher Mason Fluharty to face the heart of the lineup in the sixth. He needed just 4 throws to retire Muncy and Edman, preserving a narrow lead that soon grew comfortable.

Former starter Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' offense kept to sputter. Los Angeles have produced only 3 runs over their previous 20 frames, an sudden slowdown for a club that was among MLB's elite offenses all season.

Closing Moments

The Los Angeles scraped a run in the ninth when Edman hit into an out to score Hernández after a walk and Muncy's two-base hit put runners aboard. But Varland finished the game without permitting a comeback to develop.

After a game when Toronto left a World Series-record 19 runners and fell apart after repeated of missed opportunities, Game 4 was brutally effective. 6 different Blue Jays recorded base hits, 5 brought home scores and the team cashed nearly every scoring opportunity presented in the late innings.

Next Up

The win ensures the World Series title will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not won a championship since Carter's famous game-winning home run in 1993. They now know they are guaranteed a full crowd in Toronto on Friday night – and possibly Saturday – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game approaches with the matchup reset and energy shifting north. Los Angeles pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Blue Jays's surge. The Blue Jays respond with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Toronto chased the starter early in an 11-4 victory.