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Only 24 hours after staggering through one of the most draining defeats in Fall Classic annals, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed complete command.

Guerrero crushed a two-run homer and Bieber provided a steady outing as the Blue Jays beat the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, tying the World Series at two games each and ensuring the matchup will return to Canada.

Toronto had spent the early hours of Tuesday processing their marathon third game defeat – tied for the longest Fall Classic game ever – a defeat that denied them the chance to lead the series and depleted both bullpens. Manager Schneider insisted later that “the Dodgers won a game, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad provided convincing proof.

Early Innings

The Los Angeles again struck first. Max Muncy walked in the second inning, advanced on a base hit and scored on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the initial score did not shake a Blue Jays team that led Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind wins this season.

They responded immediately in the third. Nathan Lukes lined a one-out single to centre and Guerrero stepped in looking for a breaking ball. Ohtani left a slider 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 fresh team record – restoring the Toronto's advantage after 13 shutout innings and shifting the momentum of the night.

Shohei's Night

That swing also ended Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 consecutive at-bats reaching base. The dual-threat phenomenon had smashed two home runs and reached safely a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 walk-off. But on Tuesday, he started on limited rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the prior extra-inning game.

Ohtani fastball velocity was below his seasonal norm and he struggled more as the game wore on. Nonetheless, he showed glimpses of his typical control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first to extend his World Series streak. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six base hits and four runs were credited to him in six-plus innings.

Late Game Surge

The bigger problem for Los Angeles was what followed when he eventually ran out of energy.

Daulton Varsho started the seventh with a clean hit to right, and Clement drilled a two-base hit off the fence to put two on with none out. Dave Roberts had no option but to pull Ohtani, who departed to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not complete the escape.

Anthony Banda inherited the jam and immediately trailed in the count. Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before scoring the runner with a base hit to left. France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove Banda out of the contest. Blake Treinen entered next but also was unable to stem the rally: Bichette and Addison Barger hit run-scoring singles through the diamond, capping a four-run barrage that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Toronto's capacity to absorb initial setbacks and answer has defined their whole run. They once again did it without Springer, the injured top-of-the-order hitter who left the third game after tweaking his oblique.

Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what the Blue Jays needed. Traded for mid-season while completing recovery from elbow surgery, the ex- award-winning winner stranded several runners and silenced the Los Angeles' dangerous batting order. He allowed one run on four hits and three free passes before the manager summoned first-year left-hander Fluharty to confront the core of the order in the sixth. Fluharty needed just four pitches to retire Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a fragile advantage that quickly became safe.

Former starter Chris Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' offense continued to sputter. Los Angeles have produced only 3 runs over their previous 20 innings, an sudden downturn for a club that ranked among MLB's elite offenses all season.

Final Innings

The Los Angeles scraped a score in the ninth inning when Edman grounded out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Muncy's double put two aboard. But Louis Varland finished the game without allowing a comeback to build.

After a night when Toronto stranded a World Series-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after wave upon wave of missed opportunities, the fourth contest was ruthlessly effective. Six separate Toronto players recorded base hits, 5 brought home runs and the team converted nearly every scoring opportunity available in the final innings.

Looking Ahead

The win ensures the championship title will be presented at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a championship since Joe Carter's famous game-winning home run in 1993. They now are aware they are guaranteed a full house in Toronto on Friday evening – and possibly the next day – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game looms with the matchup reset and energy shifting north. Los Angeles pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Blue Jays's momentum. The Blue Jays respond with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Toronto chased Snell early in an 11-4 victory.