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Only 24 hours after enduring one of the most draining losses in Fall Classic annals, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed total command.

Guerrero crushed a two-run homer and Bieber delivered a composed outing as Toronto beat the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, squaring the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and ensuring the matchup will head back to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had spent the early hours of the next day processing their 18-inning third game defeat – tied for the lengthiest Fall Classic contest ever – a loss that denied them the opportunity to lead the matchup and burned through both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider insisted later that “the Dodgers won a game, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his team provided convincing proof.

Initial Action

The Los Angeles again struck 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 breakthrough did not rattle a Blue Jays club that led Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind wins this year.

They responded right away in the third. Lukes lined a one-out single to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in looking for a curveball. Shohei Ohtani left a slider 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 – restoring the Toronto's advantage after 13 scoreless frames and changing the tone of the game.

Shohei's Night

That hit also halted Shohei Ohtani's history-making run of 11 consecutive at-bats reaching base. The two-way phenomenon had hit two homers and reached safely a record nine times in the Los Angeles' third game walk-off. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on limited rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the previous extra-inning game.

His fastball velocity was below his seasonal norm and he struggled more as the game progressed. Nonetheless, he showed flashes of his typical command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and fanning six. He even walked in the first inning to continue his World Series streak. But the Toronto made him work: six hits and four runs were charged to him in over six innings.

Seventh Inning Surge

The larger problem for Los Angeles was what followed when Ohtani eventually ran out of steam.

Varsho started 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 pull the starter, who exited to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not complete the escape.

Banda inherited the jam and right away fell behind. Andrés Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before scoring the runner with a base hit to left. Ty France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove Banda out of the contest. Blake Treinen came in next but also failed to stop the momentum: Bichette and Addison Barger hit RBI base hits through the infield, capping a four-run barrage that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Toronto's capacity to absorb early setbacks and respond has characterized their whole postseason. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order man who left the third game after straining his oblique.

Bieber, meanwhile, was everything Toronto required. Acquired mid-season while completing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner left several baserunners and silenced the Los Angeles' dangerous lineup. He allowed one run on four hits and three free passes before Schneider called on first-year left-hander Mason Fluharty to face the core of the order in the sixth inning. Fluharty required just 4 pitches to retire Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a narrow advantage that quickly became safe.

Converted starting pitcher Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' bats kept to sputter. The Dodgers have scored only three runs over their previous 20 frames, an sudden slowdown for a club that ranked among MLB's elite lineups all year.

Final Moments

The Los Angeles scraped a score in the ninth when Tommy Edman grounded out to score Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Muncy's double put runners on base. But Varland closed it down without allowing a comeback to develop.

After a game when Toronto left a World Series-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after wave upon wave of missed chances, Game 4 was ruthlessly efficient. 6 separate Blue Jays collected hits, five drove in scores and the team cashed almost every run-scoring opportunity presented in the final stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The win ensures the championship title will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not celebrated a title since Joe Carter's famous game-winning homer in 1993. They now know they are assured a packed house in Canada on Friday night – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 looms with the series reset and momentum shifting to Toronto. Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Toronto's surge. Toronto respond with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Blue Jays chased Snell quickly in an decisive win.