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Less than a day following staggering through one of the most draining defeats in Fall Classic annals, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed total command.

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

Toronto had spent the early hours of the next day processing their marathon third game defeat – equal to the lengthiest Fall Classic contest ever – a loss that cost them the opportunity to lead the matchup and depleted both relief corps. Manager John Schneider stated afterwards that “the Dodgers won a contest, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his team provided emphatic evidence.

Initial Innings

The Los Angeles again struck first. Muncy drew a walk in the second, advanced on a base hit and scored on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the early breakthrough did not shake a Toronto club that led Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind wins this year.

They answered right away in the third inning. Lukes lined a one away base hit to center field and Guerrero came to the plate hunting a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani threw a slider up and Guerrero drove it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his first extra-base hit of the World Series and his 7th homer this postseason – a fresh club mark – restoring the Toronto's lead after 13 scoreless frames and changing the momentum of the game.

Shohei's Night

That swing also ended Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 straight plate appearances getting on base. The dual-threat star had hit 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 limited rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the prior marathon.

Ohtani fastball velocity sat under his regular-season average and he struggled more as the contest wore on. Even so, he displayed flashes of his typical control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and striking out six. He even walked in the first inning to extend his Fall Classic streak. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six hits and four runs were credited to him in over six innings.

Seventh Inning Rally

The larger problem for Los Angeles was what followed when he finally lost energy.

Varsho started the seventh with a clean single to right, and Ernie Clement smashed a double off the wall to put runners on with no outs. Roberts had no option but to remove the starter, who departed to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not complete the escape.

Anthony Banda inherited the mess and immediately fell behind. Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before scoring the runner with a single to left field. France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove the pitcher out of the contest. Blake Treinen came in next but also was unable to stem the rally: Bichette and Barger punched run-scoring singles through the diamond, completing a four-score barrage that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Blue Jays's ability to absorb initial blows and respond has defined their whole run. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the injured top-of-the-order man who left the third game after straining his oblique.

Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what Toronto needed. Acquired during the summer while completing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the former award-winning winner stranded multiple baserunners and quieted the Dodgers' potent batting order. He gave up one run on four base hits and three free passes before the manager summoned first-year left-hander Mason Fluharty to confront the core of the order in the sixth inning. He needed just 4 throws to get out Muncy and Edman, protecting a narrow lead that soon became comfortable.

Former starter Chris Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' bats continued to struggle. The Dodgers have scored only 3 runs over their previous 20 innings, an sudden slowdown for a club that ranked among baseball's top lineups all year.

Closing Innings

The Los Angeles managed a run in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman hit into an out to score Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's double put two aboard. But Varland finished the game without permitting a comeback to build.

After a game when Toronto stranded a World Series-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after wave upon wave of missed opportunities, Game 4 was brutally effective. 6 different Blue Jays collected base hits, 5 drove in scores and the team converted almost every scoring opportunity presented in the final innings.

Looking Ahead

The win ensures the championship trophy will be presented at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a championship since Carter's famous walk-off homer in '93. They now are aware they are assured a packed crowd in Canada on Friday night – and perhaps the next day – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 approaches with the matchup reset and energy swinging north. Los Angeles pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Blue Jays's surge. Toronto respond with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Blue Jays chased the starter quickly in an decisive victory.