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Less than a day following enduring one of the most draining losses in Fall Classic history, the Blue Jays displayed complete control.

Guerrero crushed a two-run homer and Bieber provided a steady outing as the Blue Jays beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, squaring the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and ensuring the matchup will return to Canada.

Toronto had spent the early hours of the next day processing their marathon third game defeat – equal to the longest Fall Classic contest ever – a defeat that cost them the chance to lead the series and depleted both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider stated later that “the Dodgers won a contest, not the World Series”. A day later, his squad provided convincing evidence.

Initial Innings

The Dodgers again struck first. Muncy walked in the second, advanced on a base hit and scored on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial score did not rattle a Blue Jays club that topped MLB with 49 comeback victories this season.

They responded right away in the third. Lukes lined a one-out base hit to center field and Guerrero stepped in hunting a breaking ball. Ohtani threw a sweeper up and Guerrero drove it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his initial long hit of the World Series and his 7th home run this playoffs – a fresh team record – restoring the Blue Jays's lead after 13 scoreless innings and changing the tone of the game.

Shohei's Performance

That hit also ended Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 consecutive plate appearances reaching base. The dual-threat phenomenon had smashed two homers and got on base a record nine times in the Los Angeles' third game walk-off. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on short rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the prior marathon.

His fastball velocity was below his seasonal average and he struggled more as the game wore on. Nonetheless, he displayed glimpses of his typical control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to continue his Fall Classic record. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six base hits and four runs were credited to him in over six frames.

Late Game Surge

The larger problem for the Dodgers was what came next when Ohtani finally ran out of energy.

Varsho started the seventh inning with a sharp hit to right, and Clement drilled a double off the fence to put two on with no outs. Roberts had no option but to pull Ohtani, who departed to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Dodgers' relief corps could not complete the inning.

Banda came into the jam and right away fell behind. Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before scoring the runner with a single to left. Ty France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove Banda out of the game. Treinen entered next but also was unable to stop the rally: Bichette and Barger hit RBI base hits through the infield, completing a four-score outburst that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Blue Jays's ability to withstand initial blows and answer has defined their entire postseason. They once again succeeded without Springer, the injured leadoff hitter who exited Game 3 after straining his right side.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was everything Toronto needed. Acquired during the summer while finishing recovery from elbow surgery, the ex- award-winning winner stranded several baserunners and silenced the Los Angeles' potent lineup. He gave up one earned run on four hits and three free passes before the manager summoned rookie left-hander Fluharty to confront the core of the lineup in the sixth inning. Fluharty needed just four throws to retire Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a narrow lead that soon became safe.

Former starter Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' offense kept to struggle. The Dodgers have scored only 3 runs over their previous 20 innings, an abrupt slowdown for a club that ranked among baseball's top offenses all season.

Closing Innings

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

Following a night when Toronto left a World Series-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after repeated of missed chances, the fourth contest was ruthlessly efficient. 6 different Toronto players collected base hits, five drove in runs and the squad cashed nearly every run-scoring chance available in the final stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The victory ensures the championship trophy will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a title since Joe Carter's famous walk-off homer in '93. They now are aware they are guaranteed a packed house in Toronto on Friday night – and possibly the next day – no matter what occurs next in LA.

The fifth game approaches with the matchup even and energy swinging to Toronto. Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Toronto's momentum. Toronto respond with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Blue Jays chased the starter early in an decisive win.