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

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber provided a composed start as Toronto beat the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, squaring the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the series will head back to Toronto.

Toronto had passed the morning of Tuesday dealing with their marathon third game defeat – equal to the longest Fall Classic game ever – a loss that cost them the chance to take the lead in the matchup and depleted both bullpens. Skipper John Schneider insisted later that “the Dodgers won a contest, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad offered convincing proof.

Initial Innings

The Dodgers again scored first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second, advanced on a base hit and scored on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial score did not rattle a Toronto team that topped Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind victories this year.

They answered immediately in the third. Lukes lined a one away single to centre and Guerrero came to the plate hunting a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani threw a slider up and he sent it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his initial extra-base hit of the World Series and his 7th homer this postseason – a new club record – regaining the Toronto's advantage after 13 scoreless innings and shifting the tone of the night.

Ohtani's Night

That hit also ended Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 straight at-bats reaching base. The two-way star had smashed two homers and reached safely a historic nine times in the Dodgers' third game comeback win. But on Tuesday, he started on short rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the previous extra-inning game.

Ohtani pitch speed sat under his seasonal norm and he labored more as the game progressed. Even so, he showed flashes of his typical control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and fanning six. He even walked in the first to continue his Fall Classic streak. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six hits and four runs were charged to him in over six innings.

Seventh Inning Rally

The larger problem for the Dodgers was what followed when he finally ran out of steam.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh with a clean single to right, and Ernie Clement drilled a double off the wall to put two on with no outs. Roberts had no option but to remove Ohtani, who departed to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not finish the escape.

Banda came into the mess and right away fell behind. Andrés Giménez fought to a full count before scoring Varsho 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 Banda out of the game. Blake Treinen entered next but also failed to stop the rally: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger punched run-scoring base hits through the diamond, completing a four-run barrage that extended the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Toronto's ability to absorb initial setbacks and answer has defined their entire postseason. They once again succeeded without Springer, the hurt leadoff hitter who left Game 3 after straining his right side.

Bieber, meanwhile, was everything the Blue Jays needed. Traded for during the summer while finishing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the ex- award-winning winner stranded several runners and silenced the Dodgers' potent batting order. He gave up one earned run on four base hits and three free passes before Schneider called on rookie left-hander Mason Fluharty to face the core of the order in the sixth inning. Fluharty needed just four pitches to get out Max Muncy and Edman, protecting a narrow advantage that soon became comfortable.

Converted starting pitcher Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' offense kept to sputter. Los Angeles have scored only three scores over their last 20 frames, an abrupt slowdown for a team that ranked among MLB's top offenses all season.

Closing Innings

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

After a game when Toronto stranded a World Series-record 19 runners and collapsed after wave upon wave of wasted opportunities, Game 4 was ruthlessly effective. 6 different Blue Jays recorded base hits, 5 brought home scores and the squad converted almost every run-scoring chance presented in the late stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The win ensures the World Series title will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a championship since Joe Carter's famous game-winning home run in '93. They now know they are assured a packed house in Toronto on Friday night – and possibly the next day – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game looms with the matchup reset and momentum shifting north. Los Angeles left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Toronto's momentum. Toronto respond with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Toronto chased Snell early in an 11-4 win.