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Only 24 hours following enduring one of the most draining losses in World Series annals, the Toronto Blue Jays played with complete control.

Guerrero crushed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber provided a steady start 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 guaranteeing the matchup will return to Canada.

The Blue Jays had spent the early hours of Tuesday processing their marathon third game defeat – equal to the lengthiest Fall Classic game ever – a defeat that denied them the chance to lead the series and depleted both bullpens. Manager Schneider insisted later that “they won a contest, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad provided emphatic proof.

Initial Action

The Los Angeles again struck first. Max Muncy walked in the second inning, moved up on a base hit and scored on Hernández's fly out. But the initial breakthrough did not rattle a Blue Jays team that topped MLB with 49 comeback wins this year.

They responded immediately in the third inning. Nathan Lukes hit a one-out single to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in hunting a curveball. Shohei Ohtani threw a sweeper up and Guerrero drove it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his initial extra-base hit of the World Series and his seventh homer this playoffs – a new club record – restoring the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 shutout frames and shifting the momentum of the game.

Ohtani's Performance

That swing also halted Ohtani's history-making run of 11 consecutive plate appearances getting on base. The dual-threat phenomenon had hit two homers and got on base a record nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 comeback win. But on Tuesday, he started on limited rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the previous extra-inning game.

His fastball velocity was below his seasonal average and he struggled more as the contest wore on. Even so, he showed flashes of his usual control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to extend his Fall Classic streak. But the Toronto made him work: six base hits and four earned runs were charged to him in over six frames.

Late Game Rally

The larger problem for the Dodgers was what followed when Ohtani eventually lost steam.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh with a sharp hit to right, and Clement smashed a two-base hit off the fence to put two on with none out. Dave Roberts had no option but to remove the starter, who exited to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Dodgers' relief corps could not complete the escape.

Banda came into the mess and right away trailed in the count. Giménez battled to a full count before scoring Varsho with a single to left field. France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove Banda out of the game. Blake Treinen came in next but also failed to stop the rally: Bichette and Barger punched run-scoring base hits through the infield, capping a four-run barrage that extended the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Blue Jays's capacity to withstand early setbacks and respond has defined their entire run. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the hurt leadoff man who left Game 3 after straining his right side.

Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what Toronto required. Traded for mid-season while completing rehab from elbow surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner stranded multiple baserunners and quieted the Los Angeles' potent lineup. He allowed one earned run on four hits and three free passes before Schneider summoned first-year pitcher Mason Fluharty to face the heart of the lineup in the sixth inning. He required just 4 pitches to get out Muncy and Edman, protecting a fragile advantage that soon grew comfortable.

Former starter Chris Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' offense kept to sputter. The Dodgers have produced only three scores over their last 20 innings, an abrupt downturn for a team that was among MLB's top offenses all season.

Closing Innings

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

Following a game when the Blue Jays left a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and fell apart after wave upon wave of missed opportunities, the fourth contest was ruthlessly effective. 6 different Toronto players collected base hits, 5 brought home scores and the team cashed almost every scoring chance available in the late stanzas.

Next Up

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

The fifth game approaches with the matchup even and energy swinging north. Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Toronto's momentum. The Blue Jays 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.