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Only 24 hours following enduring one of the most draining defeats in Fall Classic history, the Blue Jays played with complete command.

Guerrero crushed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber provided a steady start as Toronto defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, squaring the World Series at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had passed the early hours of Tuesday processing their marathon third game defeat – tied for the longest World Series contest ever – a defeat that denied them the chance to take the lead in the series and depleted both relief corps. Manager John Schneider stated afterwards that “the Dodgers took a contest, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his team provided emphatic proof.

Early Innings

The Los Angeles again struck first. Max Muncy walked in the second, advanced on a single and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the initial breakthrough did not shake a Toronto club that topped Major League Baseball with 49 comeback wins this season.

They answered immediately in the third. Lukes hit a one away single to centre and Guerrero stepped in hunting a breaking ball. Ohtani threw a sweeper up and he sent it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his initial extra-base hit of the World Series and his seventh home run this postseason – a new team record – regaining the Toronto's advantage after 13 shutout innings and changing the momentum of the game.

Ohtani's Night

That hit also halted Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 straight at-bats reaching base. The two-way star had hit two home runs and got on base a record nine times in the Los Angeles' third game comeback win. But on Tuesday, he started on limited rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the previous extra-inning game.

Ohtani fastball velocity sat below his seasonal norm and he labored more as the contest wore on. Nonetheless, he showed flashes of his usual command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to extend his Fall Classic record. But the Toronto made him work: six base hits and four earned runs were credited to him in six-plus frames.

Seventh Inning Rally

The larger problem for the Dodgers was what followed when Ohtani eventually ran out of energy.

Varsho opened the seventh inning with a sharp single to right field, and Clement drilled a two-base hit off the fence to put two on with none out. Roberts had little choice but to pull Ohtani, who departed to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Dodgers' bullpen could not finish the escape.

Anthony Banda inherited the mess and immediately fell behind. Giménez battled to a full count before driving in the runner with a single to left. France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock Banda out of the contest. Treinen came in next but also failed to stop the rally: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger punched RBI singles through the diamond, capping a four-run barrage that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Toronto's ability to absorb early blows and respond has defined their entire postseason. They once again succeeded without Springer, the hurt leadoff man who left Game 3 after straining his oblique.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what Toronto needed. Traded for mid-season while finishing recovery from elbow surgery, the former award-winning winner stranded multiple runners and quieted the Dodgers' potent batting order. He gave up one earned run on four base hits and three walks before Schneider called on first-year left-hander Mason Fluharty to confront the heart of the order in the sixth inning. He needed just 4 pitches to retire Max Muncy and Edman, preserving a fragile lead that soon became safe.

Former starting pitcher Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' bats continued to struggle. Los Angeles have produced only three runs over their last 20 innings, an abrupt slowdown for a club that ranked among MLB's top offenses all season.

Final Innings

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

Following a night when the Blue Jays stranded a World Series-record 19 runners and fell apart after wave upon wave of missed opportunities, Game 4 was brutally efficient. 6 different Toronto players collected hits, five drove in scores and the squad converted nearly every scoring chance presented in the late innings.

Looking Ahead

The victory guarantees the championship title will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not won a championship since Joe Carter's famous walk-off home run in 1993. They now know they are assured a packed house in Toronto on Friday night – and perhaps the next day – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game approaches with the series reset and energy swinging to Toronto. Los Angeles left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Toronto's surge. The Blue Jays respond with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Toronto chased the starter early in an 11-4 win.