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Less than a day following enduring one of the most draining losses in Fall Classic history, the Blue Jays played with total command.

Guerrero crushed a two-run homer and Bieber provided a steady start as Toronto beat the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, tying the World Series at two games each and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had spent the morning of the next day processing their 18-inning third game defeat – equal to the longest World Series game ever – a defeat that cost them the chance to lead the matchup and burned through both bullpens. Skipper John Schneider stated later that “they won a game, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his team provided emphatic proof.

Initial Action

The Los Angeles again scored first. Muncy walked in the second inning, moved up on a single and crossed the plate on Hernández's fly out. But the initial score did not shake a Toronto team that topped Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind wins this season.

They responded immediately in the third inning. Lukes lined a one-out single to centre and Guerrero stepped in looking for a breaking ball. Ohtani left a sweeper up and Guerrero drove it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his initial extra-base hit of the series and his 7th home run this playoffs – a fresh team mark – regaining the Toronto's lead after 13 shutout innings and changing the tone of the game.

Shohei's Performance

That hit also ended Shohei Ohtani's history-making 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 comeback win. But on that night, he took the mound on short rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the prior marathon.

Ohtani fastball velocity was under his regular-season average and he struggled more as the game wore on. Nonetheless, he displayed glimpses of his usual command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first to extend his Fall Classic streak. But the Toronto made him work: six hits and four earned runs were credited to him in over six innings.

Seventh Inning Rally

The bigger problem for the Dodgers was what came next when Ohtani eventually lost energy.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh inning with a sharp hit to right field, and Ernie Clement drilled a double off the fence to put runners on with none out. Roberts had no option but to pull the starter, who departed to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Dodgers' bullpen could not complete the inning.

Banda came into the jam and immediately trailed in the count. Giménez battled to a full count before driving in Varsho 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 knock Banda out of the game. Blake Treinen entered next but also was unable to stop the rally: Bo Bichette and Barger hit run-scoring singles through the diamond, capping a four-score barrage that extended the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Toronto's ability to absorb initial blows and answer has characterized their whole run. They once again succeeded without Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order hitter who left the third game after straining his right side.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what Toronto required. Acquired mid-season while finishing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the former award-winning winner left several baserunners and silenced the Dodgers' potent lineup. He gave up one earned run on four hits and three free passes before Schneider summoned first-year pitcher Mason Fluharty to confront the heart of the lineup in the sixth. He required just four throws to get out Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a narrow lead that soon grew comfortable.

Former starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' offense kept to sputter. The Dodgers have scored only three scores over their last 20 innings, an sudden downturn for a club that was among MLB's elite lineups all season.

Final Moments

The Dodgers scraped a score in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman grounded out to bring home Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's double put two aboard. But Louis Varland finished the game without allowing a rally to develop.

After a night when Toronto stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and fell apart after repeated of missed chances, Game 4 was brutally effective. 6 different Toronto players collected hits, five brought home scores and the squad cashed nearly every run-scoring chance available in the late innings.

Looking Ahead

The victory guarantees the World Series trophy will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not celebrated a championship since Carter's famous game-winning home run in 1993. They now know they are assured a full crowd in Canada on Friday night – and perhaps the next day – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 approaches with the series even and energy swinging north. Los Angeles left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Toronto's surge. The Blue Jays counter with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Toronto knocked out Snell quickly in an 11-4 win.