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Less than a day following enduring one of the most draining losses in World Series history, the Blue Jays played with total command.

Guerrero smashed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber provided a composed start as the Blue Jays defeated 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 matchup will return to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had passed the early hours of Tuesday processing their 18-inning Game 3 loss – tied for the lengthiest Fall Classic contest ever – a loss that cost 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 squad offered emphatic proof.

Early Action

The Dodgers again scored first. Muncy walked in the second, advanced on a base hit and crossed the plate on Hernández's fly out. But the initial breakthrough did not shake a Toronto team that topped MLB with 49 comeback victories this season.

They answered immediately in the third inning. Lukes hit a one away base hit to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in looking for a curveball. Ohtani threw a sweeper up and he sent it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his initial long hit of the series and his 7th home run this postseason – a fresh team record – restoring the Blue Jays's lead after 13 shutout frames and changing the tone of the night.

Shohei's Night

That hit also ended Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 consecutive plate appearances reaching base. The two-way phenomenon had smashed two home runs and got on base a record nine times in the Dodgers' third game walk-off. But on Tuesday, he started on short rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the prior marathon.

His pitch speed was below his regular-season average and he struggled more as the game progressed. Even so, he showed glimpses of his typical command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and fanning six. He even walked in the first inning to extend his Fall Classic streak. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six base hits and four earned runs were credited to him in over six frames.

Late Game Rally

The larger issue for Los Angeles was what followed when he eventually ran out of steam.

Varsho opened the seventh with a sharp single to right, and Clement drilled a two-base hit off the wall to put runners on with none out. Roberts had little choice but to pull the starter, who departed to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Dodgers' relief corps could not finish the escape.

Anthony Banda came into the jam and right away trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before driving in Varsho with a base hit to left. France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove the pitcher out of the game. Treinen came in next but also failed to stop the rally: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger hit run-scoring base hits through the diamond, capping a four-score outburst that extended the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Toronto's capacity to absorb early setbacks and respond has characterized their whole run. They once again succeeded without Springer, the injured leadoff hitter who left the third game after tweaking his right side.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what Toronto required. Traded for mid-season while finishing recovery from elbow surgery, the ex- award-winning winner left several baserunners and quieted the Los Angeles' potent lineup. He allowed one run on four hits and three free passes before Schneider summoned rookie left-hander Fluharty to confront the heart of the order in the sixth. He needed just four throws to retire Max Muncy and Edman, preserving a fragile lead that soon became safe.

Former starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' offense kept to sputter. Los Angeles have produced only 3 runs over their last 20 innings, an abrupt slowdown for a club that was among MLB's top lineups all season.

Final Innings

The Los Angeles managed a score in the ninth when Tommy Edman hit into an out to score Hernández after a walk and Muncy's two-base hit put two aboard. But Louis Varland closed it down without allowing a comeback to build.

Following a game when Toronto left a World Series-record 19 runners and collapsed after repeated of wasted chances, the fourth contest was brutally effective. Six different Toronto players recorded base hits, five drove in runs and the squad cashed nearly every scoring opportunity available in the final innings.

Looking Ahead

The victory ensures the championship trophy will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a championship since Joe Carter's famous walk-off homer in '93. They now are aware they are assured a packed crowd in Canada on Friday night – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game looms with the series even and energy swinging to Toronto. Los Angeles left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Toronto's surge. Toronto respond with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Toronto chased the starter quickly in an 11-4 win.