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Only 24 hours after staggering through one of the most exhausting losses in World Series history, the Blue Jays played with total control.

Guerrero crushed a two-run home run and Bieber provided a steady outing as Toronto beat the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, squaring the World Series at two games each and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Canada.

The Blue Jays had spent the early hours of the next day processing their 18-inning third game defeat – equal to the longest World Series contest ever – a loss that cost them the chance to take the lead in the series and depleted both relief corps. Skipper John Schneider stated later that “they won a game, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad provided emphatic evidence.

Early Innings

The Los Angeles again struck first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second, advanced on a base hit and crossed the plate on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early score did not shake a Blue Jays team that topped Major League Baseball with 49 comeback wins this year.

They answered right away in the third inning. Nathan Lukes hit a one-out base hit to centre and Guerrero came to the plate looking for a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani threw a slider up and Guerrero sent it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his initial long hit of the World Series and his 7th homer this postseason – a new team record – restoring the Toronto's advantage after 13 scoreless innings and shifting the tone of the night.

Ohtani's Night

That hit also ended Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 consecutive at-bats reaching base. The dual-threat phenomenon had hit two homers and got on base a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' third game walk-off. But on that night, he took the mound on short rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the previous extra-inning game.

His pitch speed was below his seasonal average and he struggled more as the contest wore on. Nonetheless, he displayed glimpses of his typical control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to continue his Fall Classic streak. 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 finally lost steam.

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh inning with a sharp hit to right, and Clement drilled a double off the fence to put runners on with no outs. Dave Roberts had little choice but to pull Ohtani, who exited to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Dodgers' bullpen could not finish the escape.

Anthony Banda inherited the jam and immediately trailed in the count. Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before driving in Varsho with a single to left. Ty France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove the pitcher out of the game. Treinen entered next but also failed to stop the momentum: Bichette and Addison Barger hit run-scoring base hits through the diamond, capping a four-score barrage that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Blue Jays's capacity to absorb early setbacks and answer has defined their whole run. They once again succeeded without Springer, the injured top-of-the-order hitter who left the third game after tweaking his right side.

Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what the Blue Jays needed. Acquired mid-season while finishing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the former Cy Young winner left several baserunners and silenced the Los Angeles' dangerous batting order. He gave up one earned run on four hits and three walks before Schneider called on first-year left-hander Fluharty to confront the heart of the order in the sixth inning. He needed just four pitches to get out Muncy and Edman, protecting a fragile lead that soon grew comfortable.

Former starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' bats continued to sputter. Los Angeles have produced only 3 runs over their last 20 innings, an sudden slowdown for a club that ranked among baseball's elite offenses all season.

Closing Innings

The Los Angeles managed a score in the ninth inning when Edman grounded out to score Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's double put runners on base. But Louis Varland closed it down without allowing a comeback to build.

Following a night when the Blue Jays left a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after repeated of missed chances, Game 4 was brutally efficient. 6 different Blue Jays collected base hits, five brought home runs and the team converted almost every run-scoring chance presented in the final stanzas.

Next Up

The win ensures the World Series title will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not celebrated a championship since Carter's famous walk-off homer in 1993. They now are aware they are guaranteed a full house in Toronto on Friday night – and possibly Saturday – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game looms with the series even and energy swinging north. Dodgers pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Toronto's surge. Toronto counter with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Blue Jays knocked out the starter quickly in an decisive win.