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Less than a day following staggering through one of the most draining defeats in Fall Classic annals, the Blue Jays displayed total command.

Guerrero smashed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber provided a composed outing as Toronto defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, squaring the Fall Classic at two games each and ensuring the matchup will return to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had passed the early hours of Tuesday processing their 18-inning Game 3 loss – equal to the lengthiest Fall Classic contest ever – a defeat that cost them the chance to take the lead in the series and depleted both relief corps. Skipper Schneider stated afterwards that “they took a game, not the World Series”. A day later, his squad provided emphatic evidence.

Early Innings

The Los Angeles again scored first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second, advanced on a base hit and crossed the plate on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial score did not rattle a Blue Jays club that led Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind victories this season.

They responded immediately in the third. Lukes lined a one-out single to center field and Guerrero came to the plate hunting a curveball. Shohei Ohtani threw a slider up and Guerrero drove it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his first long hit of the series and his seventh home run this postseason – a fresh team record – restoring the Toronto's advantage after 13 scoreless innings and shifting the tone of the night.

Shohei's Performance

That hit also halted Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 consecutive plate appearances reaching base. The two-way phenomenon had smashed two homers and got on base a record nine times in the Dodgers' third game comeback win. But on Tuesday, he started on short rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the previous extra-inning game.

Ohtani pitch speed was below his regular-season norm and he struggled more as the game progressed. Even so, he showed flashes of his typical control, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and striking out six. He even walked in the first inning to extend his World Series streak. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six hits and four runs were charged to him in over six innings.

Late Game Rally

The larger problem for the Dodgers was what came next when he finally lost steam.

Daulton Varsho started the seventh with a clean hit to right, and Clement drilled a two-base hit off the wall to put two on with none out. Dave Roberts had no option but to remove the starter, who departed to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not complete the inning.

Anthony Banda inherited the jam and right away fell behind. Andrés Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before driving in the runner with a single to left. France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock Banda out of the contest. Treinen entered next but also was unable to stop the momentum: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger punched RBI base hits through the diamond, capping a four-run barrage that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Blue Jays's ability to withstand initial blows and answer has defined their entire run. They once again succeeded without George Springer, the hurt leadoff hitter who left Game 3 after tweaking his oblique.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was everything the Blue Jays needed. Traded for during the summer while finishing rehab from Tommy John surgery, the former Cy Young winner left several baserunners and quieted the Los Angeles' potent lineup. He gave up one earned run on four hits and three walks before Schneider summoned first-year left-hander Mason Fluharty to confront the core of the order in the sixth. Fluharty required just 4 throws to retire Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a fragile lead that quickly became safe.

Former starting pitcher Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Los Angeles' bats kept to sputter. The Dodgers have scored only 3 runs over their previous 20 frames, an sudden slowdown for a club that ranked among MLB's top offenses all year.

Final Innings

The Dodgers managed a run in the ninth inning when Edman grounded out to score Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's double put two aboard. But Louis Varland closed it down without permitting a comeback to develop.

After a game when the Blue Jays stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and fell apart after wave upon wave of missed chances, Game 4 was ruthlessly efficient. Six separate Blue Jays collected base hits, 5 drove in scores and the team cashed nearly every run-scoring chance available in the late innings.

Next Up

The victory ensures the World Series trophy will be awarded at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a championship since Joe Carter's iconic walk-off home run in '93. They now are aware they are assured a packed crowd in Canada on Friday evening – and perhaps Saturday – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game approaches with the matchup even and momentum shifting to Toronto. Los Angeles pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Blue Jays's surge. The Blue Jays counter with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Toronto chased Snell quickly in an decisive victory.