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Less than a day after enduring one of the most exhausting losses in Fall Classic annals, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed complete control.

Guerrero smashed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber delivered a composed outing as the Blue Jays defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, tying the Fall Classic at two games each and guaranteeing the series will return to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had passed the early hours of Tuesday dealing with their 18-inning third game defeat – tied for the lengthiest Fall Classic contest ever – a defeat that denied them the opportunity to take the lead in the series and depleted both relief corps. Manager John Schneider insisted later that “they won a contest, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad offered convincing evidence.

Initial Innings

The Los Angeles again struck first. Max Muncy walked in the second, advanced on a base hit and scored on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial score did not shake a Blue Jays club that topped MLB with 49 comeback victories this year.

They responded right away in the third. Nathan Lukes lined a one away single to centre and Guerrero stepped in hunting a curveball. Shohei Ohtani left a sweeper up and he sent it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his first long hit of the series and his seventh home run this playoffs – a new team record – restoring the Toronto's lead after 13 shutout innings and shifting the tone of the game.

Shohei's Performance

That swing also halted Ohtani's history-making run of 11 straight plate appearances getting on base. The dual-threat phenomenon had hit two homers and reached safely a record nine times in the Los Angeles' third game comeback win. But on that night, he started on short rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the prior marathon.

His fastball velocity sat below his regular-season norm and he struggled more as the contest wore on. Nonetheless, he displayed flashes of his typical command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and fanning six. He even walked in the first inning to continue his World Series record. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six hits and four runs were credited to him in over six innings.

Seventh Inning Rally

The larger issue for the Dodgers was what followed when he finally lost steam.

Varsho started the seventh inning with a sharp single to right field, and Ernie Clement drilled a double off the fence to put runners on with none out. Roberts had no option but to remove the starter, who departed to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Dodgers' bullpen could not finish the inning.

Anthony Banda came into the mess and right away trailed in the count. Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before scoring the runner with a base hit to left field. France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock the pitcher out of the contest. Blake Treinen came in next but also was unable to stem the rally: Bo Bichette and Barger hit RBI singles through the infield, capping a four-run barrage that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Blue Jays's ability to absorb initial setbacks and answer has defined their entire postseason. They once again did it without Springer, the injured top-of-the-order man who exited the third game after straining his right side.

Bieber, in contrast, was everything the Blue Jays required. Traded for mid-season while finishing recovery from elbow surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner left multiple runners and quieted the Los Angeles' dangerous lineup. He allowed one earned run on four hits and three free passes before the manager called on rookie pitcher Mason Fluharty to confront the heart of the order in the sixth inning. Fluharty needed just four throws to get out Max Muncy and Edman, protecting a narrow lead that soon became safe.

Converted starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' offense continued to sputter. The Dodgers have produced only 3 scores over their previous 20 innings, an sudden slowdown for a team that ranked among baseball's elite offenses all year.

Closing Innings

The Los Angeles managed a run in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman hit into an out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Muncy's double put runners on base. But Varland finished the game without allowing a rally to build.

Following a game when the Blue Jays left a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after wave upon wave of wasted chances, the fourth contest was ruthlessly efficient. Six separate Toronto players recorded hits, five drove in scores and the squad converted almost every run-scoring chance available in the final stanzas.

Next Up

The victory guarantees the championship trophy will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not celebrated a championship since Carter's famous walk-off homer in '93. They now know they are assured a full house in Toronto on Friday night – and perhaps the next day – no matter what happens next in LA.

Game 5 looms with the matchup even and momentum shifting to Toronto. Los Angeles left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Blue Jays's surge. The Blue Jays respond with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Toronto knocked out the starter early in an decisive win.