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Only 24 hours following enduring one of the most exhausting losses in Fall Classic history, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed total command.

Guerrero smashed a two-run homer and Bieber provided a composed outing as the Blue Jays beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, tying the World Series at two games each and guaranteeing the series will head back to Toronto.

Toronto had spent the early hours of the next day processing their 18-inning third game defeat – equal to the lengthiest World Series contest ever – a loss that denied them the chance to take the lead in the series and burned through both bullpens. Skipper John Schneider insisted afterwards that “the Dodgers won a contest, not the championship”. A day later, his team offered convincing proof.

Early Innings

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

They responded immediately in the third inning. Nathan Lukes hit a one away single to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate hunting a curveball. Shohei Ohtani threw a sweeper up and he sent it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his initial extra-base hit of the series and his seventh homer this postseason – a new team mark – restoring the Toronto's advantage after 13 scoreless innings and shifting the momentum of the game.

Ohtani's Night

That swing also ended Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 straight at-bats getting on base. The dual-threat phenomenon had hit two home runs and got on base a record nine times in the Dodgers' third game comeback win. But on that night, he started on short rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the previous extra-inning game.

Ohtani pitch speed was under his seasonal average and he struggled more as the game progressed. Nonetheless, he displayed glimpses of his typical control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first to extend his World Series record. But the Blue Jays made him work: six hits and four earned runs were credited to him in over six innings.

Seventh Inning Surge

The larger problem for Los Angeles was what followed when he finally ran out of steam.

Daulton Varsho started the seventh inning with a clean single to right, and Ernie Clement drilled a double off the fence to put two on with no outs. Dave Roberts had no option but to pull the starter, who exited to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Dodgers' bullpen could not complete the escape.

Anthony Banda inherited the jam and immediately fell behind. Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before scoring the runner with a single to left. France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock Banda out of the contest. Treinen came in next but also failed to stop the rally: Bichette and Barger punched run-scoring singles through the diamond, capping a four-score outburst that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Blue Jays's ability to withstand early setbacks and respond has characterized their entire run. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the injured top-of-the-order hitter who left Game 3 after straining his oblique.

Bieber, meanwhile, was everything Toronto required. Acquired mid-season while finishing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the former Cy Young winner stranded multiple runners and quieted the Dodgers' potent batting order. He gave up one earned run on four base hits and three free passes before Schneider summoned first-year pitcher Fluharty to confront the heart of the lineup in the sixth. He required just four throws to retire Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a narrow advantage that quickly grew safe.

Converted starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' offense continued to sputter. Los Angeles have produced only 3 scores over their last 20 frames, an abrupt downturn for a club that was among MLB's elite lineups all season.

Closing Moments

The Los Angeles managed a run in the ninth inning when Edman hit into an out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's two-base hit put two on base. But Varland closed it down without permitting a rally to build.

After a game when Toronto left a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after repeated of wasted opportunities, Game 4 was brutally effective. Six different Toronto players collected base hits, five drove in scores and the team converted nearly every scoring opportunity presented in the late innings.

Looking Ahead

The win guarantees the World Series title will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not won a championship since Joe Carter's famous game-winning home run in 1993. They now are aware they are assured a packed house in Toronto on Friday night – and possibly the next day – no matter what happens next in LA.

Game 5 looms with the matchup reset and energy swinging to Toronto. Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Blue Jays's momentum. The Blue Jays respond with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Toronto chased Snell early in an 11-4 win.