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Only 24 hours after enduring one of the most exhausting defeats in Fall Classic annals, the Blue Jays played with total control.

Guerrero smashed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber provided a composed start as Toronto beat the 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 return to Canada.

The Blue Jays had spent the early hours of the next day processing their marathon third game defeat – tied for the longest World Series game ever – a loss that cost them the opportunity to take the lead in the matchup and burned through both bullpens. Manager John Schneider stated afterwards that “they took a game, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad offered emphatic proof.

Early Innings

The Dodgers again struck first. Muncy walked in the second, moved up on a base hit and scored on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early breakthrough did not rattle a Toronto club that topped Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind wins this year.

They responded immediately in the third inning. Lukes hit a one away single to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in looking for a curveball. Shohei Ohtani left a slider up and he sent it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his first extra-base hit of the World Series and his 7th homer this playoffs – a new club mark – regaining the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 scoreless frames and changing the momentum of the night.

Shohei's Night

That swing also halted Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 straight at-bats getting on base. The dual-threat phenomenon had smashed two homers and got on base a historic nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 walk-off. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on limited rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the prior marathon.

Ohtani pitch speed sat under his regular-season norm and he labored more as the contest progressed. Even so, he showed flashes of his usual control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and striking out six. He even walked in the first to extend his Fall Classic record. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six hits and four earned runs were charged to him in six-plus frames.

Late Game Surge

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

Varsho started the seventh with a sharp single to right field, and Clement smashed a two-base hit off the fence to put two on with none out. Roberts had no option but to remove Ohtani, who exited to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not complete the inning.

Banda inherited the jam and immediately fell behind. Andrés Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before scoring Varsho with a single to left. Ty France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove the pitcher out of the game. Blake Treinen came in next but also failed to stop the momentum: Bo Bichette and Barger punched run-scoring base hits through the infield, completing a four-run outburst that extended the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Toronto's capacity to withstand initial setbacks and respond has characterized their entire run. They once again succeeded without Springer, the injured top-of-the-order hitter who left the third game after straining his right side.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was everything the Blue Jays needed. Traded for during the summer while finishing recovery from elbow surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner left several runners and silenced the Los Angeles' dangerous lineup. He allowed one earned run on four base hits and three free passes before the manager called on first-year pitcher Fluharty to confront the core of the lineup in the sixth. He required just four throws to retire Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a fragile advantage that soon grew comfortable.

Former starter Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' offense continued to sputter. Los Angeles have produced only 3 runs over their previous 20 frames, an sudden slowdown for a club that was among MLB's elite offenses all season.

Closing Innings

The Los Angeles managed a score in the ninth when Tommy Edman grounded out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Max Muncy's two-base hit put two aboard. But Louis Varland finished the game without permitting a comeback to develop.

Following a game when Toronto left a World Series-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after repeated of missed opportunities, Game 4 was ruthlessly effective. Six separate Blue Jays collected base hits, five brought home scores and the team cashed nearly every scoring opportunity presented in the final innings.

Next Up

The win guarantees the championship trophy will be presented at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a championship since Carter's iconic game-winning home run in '93. They now are aware they are assured a full crowd in Toronto on Friday night – and possibly Saturday – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game looms with the matchup reset and energy swinging north. Dodgers left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Toronto's momentum. Toronto counter with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Toronto chased Snell early in an 11-4 win.