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Only 24 hours following enduring one of the most draining losses in World Series history, the Blue Jays played with complete command.

Guerrero smashed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber delivered a steady start as the Blue Jays beat the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, squaring the World Series at two games each and ensuring the series will return to Canada.

Toronto had passed the early hours of the next day dealing with their marathon third game defeat – equal to the longest World Series game ever – a loss that cost them the chance to lead the matchup and depleted both bullpens. Skipper John Schneider stated afterwards that “they took a contest, not the World Series”. A day later, his squad offered emphatic evidence.

Initial Innings

The Los Angeles again struck first. Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, moved up on a base hit and scored on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial breakthrough did not shake a Blue Jays team that led Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind wins this season.

They responded right away in the third inning. Lukes hit a one-out single to centre and Guerrero came to the plate looking for a breaking ball. Ohtani threw a slider up and he sent it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his first long hit of the World Series and his 7th home run this postseason – a new club record – restoring the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 shutout innings and changing the tone of the game.

Shohei's Night

That hit also ended Shohei Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 consecutive at-bats reaching base. The two-way star had hit two homers and reached safely a record nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 comeback win. But on Tuesday, he started on limited rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the previous marathon.

His fastball velocity sat under his seasonal average and he labored more as the contest wore on. Even so, he displayed glimpses of his usual command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first to continue his World Series record. But the Blue Jays made him work: six hits and four earned runs were credited to him in six-plus innings.

Late Game Surge

The larger issue for the Dodgers was what came next when Ohtani finally lost energy.

Varsho opened the seventh inning with a clean hit to right field, and Clement smashed a double off the wall to put runners 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 finish the inning.

Anthony Banda inherited the mess and right away fell behind. Andrés Giménez battled to a full count before scoring the runner with a base hit to left field. Ty 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 came in next but also failed to stem the momentum: Bichette and Addison Barger punched run-scoring base hits through the diamond, completing a four-run barrage that extended the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Blue Jays's ability to withstand early blows and respond has characterized their whole run. They once again did it without George Springer, the hurt leadoff hitter who exited Game 3 after tweaking his oblique.

Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what the Blue Jays required. Acquired during the summer while finishing rehab from elbow surgery, the former award-winning winner left multiple runners and quieted the Los Angeles' potent lineup. He allowed one run on four hits and three free passes before Schneider summoned first-year left-hander Mason Fluharty to face the core of the lineup in the sixth inning. Fluharty required just 4 throws to retire Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a fragile lead that quickly grew safe.

Former starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' bats kept to sputter. Los Angeles have produced only three scores over their previous 20 innings, an sudden slowdown for a team that was among baseball's elite lineups all year.

Closing Innings

The Dodgers managed a score in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman grounded out to score Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's double put runners on base. But Varland closed it down without permitting a comeback to develop.

After a game when Toronto stranded a World Series-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after wave upon wave of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was brutally efficient. 6 separate Toronto players collected hits, five brought home scores and the squad converted nearly every run-scoring chance available in the final innings.

Looking Ahead

The victory ensures the championship title will be presented at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not won a championship since Carter's famous walk-off home run in 1993. They now are aware they are guaranteed a full crowd in Canada on Friday evening – and possibly the next day – no matter what occurs next in LA.

The fifth game approaches with the series even and energy shifting to Toronto. Los Angeles pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Toronto's momentum. Toronto respond with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Toronto knocked out the starter quickly in an decisive victory.