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Only 24 hours following staggering through one of the most draining losses in World Series annals, the Blue Jays displayed total control.

Guerrero smashed a two-run homer and Bieber provided a composed start as Toronto defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, squaring the World Series at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Canada.

Toronto had passed the early hours of the next day dealing with their marathon Game 3 loss – tied for the longest Fall Classic game ever – a loss that cost them the opportunity to take the lead in the series and depleted both bullpens. Manager John Schneider stated afterwards that “they took a game, not the World Series”. A day later, his squad offered convincing evidence.

Early Innings

The Dodgers again scored first. Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, moved up on a base hit and scored on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the early score did not rattle a Blue Jays club that led MLB with 49 comeback victories this year.

They responded immediately in the third. Nathan Lukes lined a one-out single to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in looking for a curveball. Shohei Ohtani left a slider up and Guerrero drove it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his initial extra-base hit of the series and his 7th home run this playoffs – a new team record – regaining the Toronto's lead after 13 shutout innings and changing the momentum of the game.

Ohtani's Night

That hit also ended Shohei Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 straight plate appearances getting on base. The two-way star had smashed two homers and reached safely a record nine times in the Los Angeles' third game walk-off. But on Tuesday, he started on limited rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the previous extra-inning game.

His pitch speed sat below his seasonal average and he struggled more as the game progressed. Nonetheless, he displayed glimpses of his usual control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to extend his World Series record. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six base hits and four runs were charged to him in over six innings.

Late Game Surge

The bigger problem for Los Angeles was what followed when Ohtani eventually ran out of steam.

Varsho started the seventh with a sharp single to right field, and Ernie Clement smashed a two-base hit off the fence to put runners on with none out. Dave Roberts had little choice but to remove Ohtani, who departed to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not finish the escape.

Banda inherited the jam and right away trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before scoring Varsho with a base hit to left field. France followed with a fielder's choice 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 rally: Bichette and Barger hit run-scoring base hits through the diamond, completing a four-score outburst that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Blue Jays's ability to absorb initial blows and respond has characterized their whole postseason. They once again succeeded without Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order man who left the third game after tweaking his right side.

Bieber, meanwhile, was everything Toronto required. Acquired mid-season while completing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the former Cy Young winner left multiple runners and silenced the Los Angeles' potent lineup. He allowed one run on four hits and three free passes before the manager summoned first-year pitcher Mason Fluharty to confront the core of the lineup in the sixth. Fluharty required just four throws to retire Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a fragile lead that quickly grew comfortable.

Converted starter Chris Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' offense continued to sputter. Los Angeles have produced only 3 scores over their previous 20 innings, an sudden downturn for a club that ranked among baseball's elite lineups all year.

Final Innings

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

After a game when the Blue Jays left a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and collapsed after wave upon wave of wasted opportunities, Game 4 was brutally efficient. 6 different Blue Jays collected base hits, 5 drove in scores and the squad cashed almost every run-scoring opportunity available in the final stanzas.

Next Up

The win ensures the World Series title will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not won a title since Joe Carter's iconic game-winning homer in 1993. They now are aware they are guaranteed a packed crowd in Canada on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what occurs next in LA.

Game 5 looms with the matchup reset and momentum shifting north. Dodgers left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Toronto's momentum. Toronto respond with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Blue Jays chased the starter early in an 11-4 victory.