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Less than a day after enduring one of the most draining defeats in World Series history, the Toronto Blue Jays played with complete control.

Guerrero smashed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber provided a steady outing as Toronto beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, squaring the World Series at two games each and guaranteeing the series will head back to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had passed the early hours of Tuesday dealing with their 18-inning third game defeat – equal to the longest Fall Classic contest ever – a loss that denied them the chance to lead the series and burned through both relief corps. Skipper Schneider insisted later that “the Dodgers took a contest, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his team provided convincing proof.

Initial Innings

The Dodgers again struck first. Max Muncy walked in the second, moved up on a single and scored on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early score did not rattle a Toronto team that led MLB with 49 come-from-behind wins this season.

They responded immediately in the third inning. Lukes lined a one-out base hit to centre and Guerrero stepped in hunting a curveball. Shohei Ohtani threw a slider up and he sent it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his initial long hit of the series and his 7th homer this playoffs – a new club mark – regaining the Toronto's advantage after 13 scoreless frames and shifting the tone of the game.

Shohei's Night

That hit also ended Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 consecutive plate appearances reaching base. The dual-threat phenomenon had smashed two homers and got on base a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' third game comeback win. But on Tuesday, he started on limited rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the previous marathon.

Ohtani pitch speed was under his regular-season norm and he labored more as the game wore on. Nonetheless, he displayed flashes of his typical control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to continue his Fall Classic streak. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six base hits and four runs were credited to him in over six frames.

Seventh Inning Surge

The larger issue for Los Angeles was what came next when he finally ran out of steam.

Daulton Varsho started the seventh with a clean hit to right field, and Clement drilled a double off the fence to put runners on with no outs. Roberts had no option but to remove Ohtani, who departed to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Dodgers' relief corps could not finish the inning.

Banda came into the jam and right away fell behind. Giménez battled to a full count before scoring Varsho with a base hit to left field. Ty France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock the pitcher out of the contest. Treinen came in next but also failed to stem the rally: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger hit run-scoring singles through the diamond, completing a four-run barrage that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Toronto's ability to absorb early blows and answer has defined their whole postseason. They once again succeeded without Springer, the injured top-of-the-order man who left the third game after straining his right side.

Bieber, in contrast, was everything the Blue Jays required. Traded for during the summer while completing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the former Cy Young winner stranded several baserunners and silenced the Los Angeles' potent lineup. He gave up one earned run on four hits and three walks before the manager summoned first-year pitcher Fluharty to confront the heart of the lineup in the sixth. He needed just four pitches to get out Max Muncy and Edman, protecting a narrow advantage that soon became comfortable.

Converted starter Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' bats continued to struggle. The Dodgers have scored only 3 runs over their previous 20 frames, an sudden downturn for a team that ranked among MLB's top offenses all year.

Closing Innings

The Los Angeles managed a score in the ninth inning when Edman grounded out to score Hernández after a walk and Muncy's two-base hit put two aboard. But Louis Varland closed it down without permitting a rally to build.

After a game when Toronto stranded a World Series-record 19 runners and fell apart after wave upon wave of missed opportunities, Game 4 was ruthlessly effective. Six different Blue Jays recorded hits, five brought home scores and the squad cashed nearly every scoring opportunity presented in the late innings.

Next Up

The victory ensures the championship trophy will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a championship since Joe Carter's famous walk-off homer in 1993. They now are aware they are guaranteed a packed crowd in Canada on Friday evening – and perhaps the next day – no matter what occurs next in LA.

The fifth game looms with the series reset and momentum shifting north. Dodgers left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Blue Jays's momentum. Toronto respond with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Blue Jays knocked out the starter early in an decisive victory.