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Only 24 hours after staggering through one of the most exhausting defeats in Fall Classic history, the Blue Jays displayed total command.

Guerrero smashed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber delivered a composed outing as the Blue Jays defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, squaring the Fall Classic at two games each and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had spent the morning of Tuesday dealing with their 18-inning Game 3 loss – tied for the lengthiest Fall Classic game ever – a defeat that denied them the opportunity to take the lead in the matchup and depleted both relief corps. Manager John Schneider insisted afterwards that “the Dodgers took a contest, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his team offered convincing proof.

Initial Action

The Los Angeles again scored first. Max Muncy walked in the second inning, advanced on a base hit and crossed the plate on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early score did not rattle a Toronto team that led Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind wins this year.

They responded right away in the third inning. Lukes hit a one away base hit to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate hunting a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani left a slider up and he sent it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his initial long hit of the World Series and his 7th homer this playoffs – a new club mark – regaining the Toronto's advantage after 13 shutout innings and shifting the momentum of the game.

Ohtani's Performance

That swing also ended Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 straight at-bats getting on base. The two-way star had smashed two home runs and got on base a record nine times in the Los Angeles' third game walk-off. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on limited rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the previous extra-inning game.

His fastball velocity was under his regular-season norm and he labored more as the contest wore on. Nonetheless, he showed glimpses of his typical control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's blast and fanning six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to continue his World Series record. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six hits and four earned runs were credited to him in six-plus innings.

Seventh Inning Rally

The larger problem for the Dodgers was what came next when he eventually lost energy.

Varsho opened the seventh inning with a sharp hit to right field, and Ernie Clement drilled a two-base hit off the fence to put runners on with none out. Dave Roberts had no option but to pull Ohtani, who departed to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Dodgers' relief corps could not finish the escape.

Anthony Banda inherited the jam and immediately trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before scoring the runner with a single to left field. Ty 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 stem the rally: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger punched RBI base hits through the diamond, capping a four-run barrage that extended the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Toronto's capacity to absorb initial setbacks and respond has characterized their entire postseason. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the hurt leadoff man who left the third game after straining his right side.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was everything the Blue Jays required. Acquired during the summer while finishing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the former award-winning winner left multiple baserunners and quieted the Los Angeles' potent lineup. He gave up one earned run on four hits and three free passes before Schneider summoned rookie pitcher Fluharty to confront the heart of the order in the sixth inning. Fluharty needed just 4 throws to retire Max Muncy and Edman, protecting a narrow lead that quickly became safe.

Former starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' bats continued to struggle. The Dodgers have produced only 3 scores over their last 20 frames, an abrupt slowdown for a club that ranked among baseball's top offenses all year.

Final Innings

The Dodgers scraped a score in the ninth when Edman hit into an out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's two-base hit put runners aboard. But Varland finished the game without permitting a rally to build.

After a game when Toronto stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and fell apart after repeated of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was brutally efficient. Six different Blue Jays collected hits, five brought home scores and the squad converted nearly every run-scoring chance available in the late stanzas.

Next Up

The win ensures the World Series title will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not won a title since Joe Carter's famous walk-off home run in 1993. They now are aware they are guaranteed a packed house in Canada on Friday evening – and perhaps the next day – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game looms with the matchup reset and momentum swinging to Toronto. Dodgers left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to halt the Blue Jays's surge. The Blue Jays counter with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Blue Jays knocked out Snell quickly in an decisive win.