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Less than a day following staggering through one of the most draining losses in World Series history, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed total command.

Guerrero crushed a two-run homer and Bieber delivered a composed start as Toronto defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, tying the Fall Classic at two games each and ensuring the series will return to Canada.

The Blue Jays had passed the morning of the next day processing their marathon Game 3 loss – equal to the longest Fall Classic contest ever – a defeat that denied them the opportunity to lead the series and depleted both bullpens. Skipper Schneider insisted afterwards that “they took a game, not the World Series”. A day later, his team offered emphatic evidence.

Early Innings

The Dodgers again struck first. Max Muncy walked in the second inning, moved up on a single and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the initial score did not rattle a Blue Jays team that topped MLB with 49 come-from-behind wins this season.

They responded immediately in the third. Nathan Lukes lined a one-out base hit to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in hunting a curveball. Shohei Ohtani threw a sweeper up and Guerrero sent it soaring over the outfield fence. It was his initial extra-base hit of the series and his 7th home run this playoffs – a fresh team mark – regaining the Blue Jays's lead after 13 shutout innings and changing the tone of the game.

Shohei's Night

That swing also ended Shohei Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 straight plate appearances getting on base. The two-way star had hit two home runs and got on base a record nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 walk-off. But on Tuesday, he started on short rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the previous marathon.

Ohtani fastball velocity sat under his seasonal norm and he labored more as the game wore on. Even so, he displayed flashes of his usual command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and fanning six. He even walked in the first to continue his Fall Classic streak. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six base hits and four earned runs were credited to him in six-plus frames.

Seventh Inning Surge

The larger problem for Los Angeles was what came next when Ohtani finally ran out of energy.

Daulton Varsho started the seventh inning with a sharp single to right, and Clement drilled a two-base hit off the fence to put two on with none out. Roberts had little choice but to pull Ohtani, who departed to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Dodgers' bullpen could not finish the inning.

Anthony Banda inherited the mess and immediately trailed in the count. Giménez fought to a full count before driving in the runner with a base hit to left field. Ty France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove the pitcher out of the game. Blake Treinen entered next but also was unable to stop the momentum: Bichette and Barger hit RBI singles through the diamond, completing a four-run outburst that extended the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Blue Jays's capacity to absorb initial setbacks and respond has defined their entire run. They once again did it without George Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order man who exited the third game after tweaking his oblique.

Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what the Blue Jays needed. Traded for mid-season while finishing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the former Cy Young winner stranded several runners and silenced the Dodgers' dangerous batting order. He allowed one earned run on four base hits and three free passes before the manager called on first-year pitcher Fluharty to face the heart of the lineup in the sixth inning. He needed just 4 throws to get out Max Muncy and Edman, preserving a fragile advantage that quickly became comfortable.

Converted starter Bassitt then pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' bats continued to struggle. Los Angeles have produced only 3 runs over their last 20 innings, an sudden downturn for a team that ranked among baseball's top lineups all year.

Final Innings

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

After a night when Toronto stranded a World Series-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after repeated of missed opportunities, the fourth contest was ruthlessly effective. 6 different Toronto players recorded hits, five drove in runs and the team cashed almost every run-scoring opportunity available in the late innings.

Next Up

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

Game 5 looms with the series reset and energy swinging north. Los Angeles left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Blue Jays's surge. The Blue Jays respond with first-year player Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Blue Jays chased the starter quickly in an decisive win.