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Only 24 hours following enduring one of the most exhausting defeats in World Series history, the Blue Jays displayed complete control.

Guerrero smashed a two-run homer and Bieber provided a steady outing as Toronto defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, squaring the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and ensuring the matchup will return to Canada.

Toronto had passed the early hours of the next day dealing with their marathon third game defeat – equal to the longest Fall Classic game ever – a defeat that cost them the opportunity to take the lead in the series and depleted both bullpens. Manager John Schneider insisted afterwards that “the Dodgers took a contest, not the World Series”. A day later, his team offered convincing evidence.

Initial Action

The Los Angeles again scored first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, advanced on a single and scored on Hernández's fly out. But the initial score did not rattle a Toronto club that topped MLB with 49 come-from-behind wins this year.

They responded immediately in the third inning. Lukes lined a one away single to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate looking for a curveball. Ohtani threw a slider up and Guerrero sent it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his first extra-base hit of the World Series and his 7th homer this postseason – a fresh club mark – restoring the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 shutout frames and shifting the tone of the night.

Shohei's Night

That swing also ended Shohei Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 consecutive at-bats reaching 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 took the mound on limited rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the previous extra-inning game.

His fastball velocity sat below his regular-season average and he labored more as the game wore on. Even so, he showed flashes of his usual 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 record. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six base hits and four runs were credited to him in six-plus innings.

Seventh Inning Surge

The bigger issue for the Dodgers was what followed when Ohtani eventually lost energy.

Daulton Varsho started the seventh inning with a sharp single to right, and Clement smashed a two-base hit off the fence to put two on with no outs. Roberts had little choice but to remove Ohtani, who departed to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not complete the inning.

Anthony Banda inherited the jam and right away fell behind. Andrés Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before scoring the runner with a single 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 entered next but also failed to stop the momentum: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger hit run-scoring base hits through the diamond, capping a four-run outburst that extended the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Blue Jays's capacity to withstand early blows and respond has defined their entire postseason. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the hurt leadoff man who left the third game after straining his right side.

Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what Toronto needed. Acquired during the summer while completing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the former Cy Young winner left several runners and quieted the Dodgers' dangerous batting order. He allowed one earned run on four hits and three walks before Schneider summoned rookie pitcher Mason Fluharty to face the core of the lineup in the sixth. He needed just 4 throws to retire Muncy and Edman, preserving a narrow lead that quickly became safe.

Converted starter Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' bats continued to sputter. Los Angeles have scored only three scores over their previous 20 frames, an abrupt downturn for a club that ranked among MLB's elite lineups all year.

Closing Innings

The Dodgers scraped a run in the ninth when Tommy Edman hit into an out to score Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's double put two aboard. But Louis Varland finished the game without allowing a rally to build.

Following a night when Toronto stranded a World Series-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after repeated of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was ruthlessly effective. Six different Toronto players recorded hits, five brought home runs and the squad converted nearly every run-scoring chance presented in the final stanzas.

Next Up

The victory ensures the World Series title will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a championship since Carter's iconic walk-off homer in 1993. They now are aware they are assured a packed house in Toronto on Friday night – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what happens next in LA.

Game 5 looms with the series even and energy shifting to Toronto. Dodgers pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Blue Jays's surge. Toronto counter with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Toronto knocked out Snell quickly in an 11-4 win.