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

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber provided a steady outing as Toronto beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, squaring the World Series at two games each and ensuring the matchup will return to Canada.

Toronto had spent the morning of Tuesday dealing with their 18-inning Game 3 loss – tied for the longest World Series game ever – a defeat that cost them the chance to take the lead in the series and depleted both relief corps. Skipper Schneider insisted afterwards that “they took a game, not the championship”. A day later, his team offered emphatic evidence.

Initial Innings

The Dodgers again scored first. Muncy walked in the second inning, advanced on a single and scored on Hernández's fly out. But the initial score did not rattle a Toronto team that topped Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind victories this year.

They responded right away in the third. Nathan Lukes hit a one-out single to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate looking for a curveball. Ohtani left a sweeper up and Guerrero sent it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his first extra-base hit of the series and his seventh home run this playoffs – a new team record – regaining the Blue Jays's lead after 13 scoreless frames and changing the momentum of the game.

Shohei's Performance

That swing also ended Shohei Ohtani's record-setting streak of 11 consecutive plate appearances getting on base. The two-way phenomenon had smashed two homers and got on base a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 walk-off. But on Tuesday, he started on limited rest – his shortest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the prior extra-inning game.

His fastball velocity was under his seasonal average and he struggled more as the game progressed. Even so, he displayed glimpses of his typical control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first to continue his World Series streak. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six base hits and four runs were credited to him in six-plus frames.

Seventh Inning Surge

The larger problem for the Dodgers was what followed when he eventually ran out of steam.

Daulton Varsho started the seventh inning with a clean hit to right, and Ernie Clement smashed a two-base hit off the fence to put runners on with none out. Roberts had no option but to remove Ohtani, who exited to a standing ovation from the home crowd. The Dodgers' relief corps could not complete the escape.

Anthony Banda inherited the jam and immediately fell behind. Giménez fought to a full count before scoring Varsho with a single to left. Ty France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock Banda out of the game. Blake Treinen came in next but also was unable to stem the rally: Bo Bichette and Barger punched RBI base hits through the infield, completing a four-run barrage that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Toronto's capacity to withstand initial blows and respond has characterized their whole postseason. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the injured leadoff man who exited Game 3 after straining his oblique.

Bieber, in contrast, was everything the Blue Jays needed. Acquired during the summer while finishing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the former award-winning winner left several baserunners and silenced the Dodgers' potent batting order. He gave up one run on four hits and three free passes before the manager summoned rookie left-hander Fluharty to face the heart of the lineup in the sixth. Fluharty needed just 4 pitches to get out Muncy and Edman, preserving a fragile lead that quickly became comfortable.

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

Final Innings

The Dodgers managed a score in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman grounded out to bring home Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's two-base hit put runners aboard. But Varland closed it down without allowing a comeback to develop.

After a night when the Blue Jays left a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and fell apart after repeated of missed chances, the fourth contest was ruthlessly effective. Six different Blue Jays recorded hits, five brought home runs and the squad cashed almost every scoring opportunity presented in the final stanzas.

Next Up

The win guarantees the World Series title will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not won a championship since Carter's famous walk-off homer in '93. They now know they are guaranteed a packed crowd in Canada on Friday night – and perhaps the next day – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

Game 5 looms with the series even and energy shifting north. Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Toronto's surge. Toronto respond with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Toronto chased the starter early in an decisive victory.