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Less than a day after enduring one of the most exhausting losses in Fall Classic annals, the Blue Jays displayed complete command.

Guerrero crushed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber delivered a steady outing as Toronto defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, squaring the World Series at two games each and ensuring the series will head back to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had spent the morning of Tuesday dealing with their marathon third game defeat – tied for the lengthiest World Series game ever – a loss that denied them the opportunity to lead the matchup and depleted both bullpens. Manager John Schneider stated afterwards that “they won a game, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad provided convincing proof.

Initial Action

The Los Angeles again scored first. Max Muncy walked in the second inning, advanced on a base hit and scored on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial breakthrough did not rattle a Toronto club that topped Major League Baseball with 49 comeback victories this year.

They answered right away in the third inning. Lukes hit a one away single to center field and Guerrero stepped in hunting a curveball. Ohtani threw a slider up and Guerrero drove it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his first long hit of the series and his seventh homer this postseason – a fresh club mark – regaining the Toronto's lead after 13 scoreless innings and changing the momentum of the night.

Ohtani's Performance

That swing also halted Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 straight at-bats getting on base. The two-way phenomenon had hit two home runs and got on base a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' third game comeback win. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on limited rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the previous marathon.

His fastball velocity was under his seasonal average and he struggled more as the game wore on. Nonetheless, he displayed flashes of his usual command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and fanning six. He even walked in the first inning to extend his Fall Classic record. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six hits and four runs were credited to him in six-plus frames.

Late Game Rally

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

Daulton Varsho started the seventh with a sharp hit to right field, and Ernie Clement drilled a double off the wall to put runners on with none out. Roberts had little choice but to remove the starter, who departed to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not finish the escape.

Anthony Banda inherited the jam and immediately trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez battled to a full count before driving in the runner with a base hit to left field. France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove Banda out of the game. Treinen entered next but also failed to stem the momentum: Bichette and Barger hit RBI singles through the infield, completing a four-run outburst that extended the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Toronto's ability to absorb initial blows and answer has defined their entire postseason. They once again did it without Springer, the injured leadoff man who left Game 3 after straining his oblique.

Bieber, in contrast, was everything Toronto required. Acquired during the summer while finishing rehab from elbow surgery, the former Cy Young winner stranded several runners and silenced the Los Angeles' dangerous batting order. He allowed one earned run on four hits and three walks before the manager called on first-year left-hander Fluharty to face the core of the order in the sixth inning. He required just four throws to get out Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a narrow lead that soon became safe.

Converted starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' offense kept to struggle. Los Angeles have scored only 3 scores over their previous 20 frames, an sudden slowdown for a club that ranked among baseball's top lineups all season.

Final Innings

The Los Angeles scraped a score in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman grounded out to bring home Hernández after a walk and Muncy's two-base hit put runners aboard. But Louis Varland closed it down without allowing a comeback to build.

Following a night when Toronto left a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and fell apart after wave upon wave of wasted chances, the fourth contest was brutally effective. Six separate Toronto players recorded base hits, five brought home runs and the team converted almost every scoring opportunity available in the final stanzas.

Next Up

The victory guarantees the championship trophy will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not celebrated a championship since Joe Carter's iconic game-winning homer in 1993. They now know they are assured a full house in Toronto on Friday night – and perhaps the next day – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 approaches with the matchup even and momentum swinging to Toronto. Los Angeles pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Blue Jays's surge. The Blue Jays counter with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Toronto chased the starter early in an decisive victory.