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Only 24 hours after staggering through one of the most draining defeats in World Series history, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed complete control.

Guerrero smashed a two-run homer and Bieber delivered a steady start as Toronto beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, squaring the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the series will return to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had passed the morning of the next day dealing with their marathon third game defeat – equal to the longest World Series contest ever – a loss that cost them the chance to take the lead in the matchup and depleted both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider stated afterwards that “they won a game, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad offered emphatic proof.

Early Innings

The Dodgers again struck first. Max Muncy walked in the second inning, moved up on a base hit and scored on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the early breakthrough did not shake a Toronto team that topped MLB with 49 come-from-behind victories this season.

They answered right away in the third. Nathan Lukes lined a one-out single to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in looking for a curveball. Ohtani left a slider up and he sent it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his initial extra-base hit of the series and his seventh homer this playoffs – a new team mark – restoring the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 scoreless innings and shifting the momentum of the game.

Shohei's Performance

That swing also halted Shohei Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 consecutive at-bats getting on base. The two-way 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 started on short rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the previous marathon.

His pitch speed sat under his seasonal norm and he labored more as the contest wore on. Nonetheless, he showed glimpses of his typical command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and striking out six. He even walked in the first inning to extend his World Series streak. But the Blue Jays made him work: six hits and four runs were credited to him in six-plus frames.

Late Game Surge

The larger problem for Los Angeles was what followed when he eventually lost steam.

Varsho started the seventh with a sharp single to right, and Clement drilled a two-base hit off the fence to put runners on with no outs. Dave Roberts had no option but to pull the starter, who exited to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Dodgers' bullpen could not complete the inning.

Banda came into the jam and immediately fell behind. Giménez fought to a full count before scoring Varsho with a base hit to left field. France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove Banda out of the contest. Blake Treinen entered next but also was unable to stem the momentum: Bichette and Barger punched RBI singles through the infield, capping 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 whole postseason. They once again did it without George Springer, the injured top-of-the-order hitter who left Game 3 after tweaking his oblique.

Bieber, in contrast, was everything Toronto needed. Traded for during the summer while completing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the former award-winning winner left multiple runners and silenced the Dodgers' potent batting order. He allowed one run on four base hits and three free passes before Schneider summoned rookie pitcher Fluharty to face the heart of the lineup in the sixth inning. Fluharty required just four throws to get out Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a narrow advantage that soon became safe.

Converted starter Chris Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' bats continued to sputter. The Dodgers have produced only 3 scores over their previous 20 innings, an sudden downturn for a club that was among baseball's top offenses all year.

Final Innings

The Dodgers scraped a score in the ninth when Edman hit into an out to score Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Muncy's two-base hit put two aboard. But Louis Varland finished the game without allowing a comeback to develop.

Following a night when the Blue Jays stranded a World Series-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after wave upon wave of missed opportunities, the fourth contest was ruthlessly effective. Six different Blue Jays collected hits, five brought home scores and the team cashed nearly every scoring chance presented in the final innings.

Next Up

The win ensures the World Series trophy will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not won a title since Joe Carter's iconic walk-off homer in 1993. They now are aware they are assured a packed crowd in Canada on Friday evening – and possibly Saturday – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 looms with the matchup even and momentum swinging north. Los Angeles pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Toronto's momentum. The Blue Jays respond with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Toronto knocked out the starter quickly in an decisive win.