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Less than a day following staggering through one of the most exhausting defeats in Fall Classic annals, the Blue Jays displayed complete control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run homer and Bieber provided a composed outing as Toronto beat the 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 morning of Tuesday processing their 18-inning third game defeat – tied for the lengthiest World Series contest ever – a defeat that cost them the chance to take the lead in the matchup and burned through both relief corps. Manager John Schneider insisted afterwards that “the Dodgers took a game, not the championship”. A day later, his squad offered convincing proof.

Early Innings

The Los Angeles again struck first. Max Muncy drew a walk in the second inning, moved up on a single and scored on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial breakthrough did not shake a Blue Jays team that topped Major League Baseball with 49 comeback wins this year.

They responded right away in the third. Nathan Lukes lined a one-out base hit to centre and Guerrero stepped in looking for a curveball. Ohtani left a sweeper up and he sent it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his first extra-base hit of the series and his 7th homer this playoffs – a new team record – restoring the Toronto's lead after 13 scoreless innings and changing the momentum of the game.

Ohtani's Performance

That hit also halted Shohei Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 straight at-bats getting on base. The dual-threat phenomenon had smashed two homers and reached safely a record nine times in the Los Angeles' third game walk-off. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on short rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recuperate from the prior extra-inning game.

His pitch speed sat below his regular-season norm and he struggled more as the game progressed. Nonetheless, he displayed glimpses of his usual command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to extend his World Series streak. But the Blue Jays forced him to labor: six hits and four earned runs were charged to him in six-plus innings.

Late Game Surge

The bigger issue for the Dodgers was what came next when he eventually lost energy.

Daulton Varsho started the seventh inning with a sharp single to right field, and Ernie Clement drilled a double off the wall to put runners on with none out. Roberts had little choice but to remove the starter, who departed to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Los Angeles' bullpen could not finish the inning.

Banda came into the mess and immediately trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez fought to a 3-2 count before scoring Varsho with a base hit to left field. France followed with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock the pitcher out of the contest. Treinen entered next but also was unable to stop the rally: Bo Bichette and Barger hit RBI base hits through the infield, capping a four-run outburst that extended the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Toronto's ability to absorb early setbacks and answer has characterized their whole run. They once again did it without Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order man who exited the third game after straining his right side.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was everything the Blue Jays needed. Acquired during the summer while finishing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the ex- award-winning winner left multiple runners and silenced the Dodgers' dangerous lineup. He allowed one run on four base hits and three walks before Schneider summoned first-year pitcher Fluharty to confront the core of the lineup in the sixth. He needed just four pitches to get out Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, protecting a narrow advantage that soon became safe.

Former starter Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' offense kept to struggle. The Dodgers have produced only three scores over their previous 20 frames, an abrupt downturn for a club that ranked among MLB's elite offenses all season.

Final Innings

The Dodgers managed a run in the ninth when Tommy Edman hit into an out to score Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Muncy's double put runners on base. But Louis Varland finished the game without allowing a rally to develop.

Following a game when the Blue Jays stranded a World Series-record 19 runners and fell apart after wave upon wave of wasted opportunities, the fourth contest was ruthlessly efficient. 6 different Blue Jays recorded hits, 5 drove in scores and the team cashed nearly every scoring opportunity presented in the late innings.

Looking Ahead

The win ensures the championship title will be presented at their home stadium, where the Toronto have not won a title since Carter's iconic walk-off homer in 1993. They now know they are guaranteed a full crowd in Canada on Friday night – and possibly Saturday – no matter what happens next in LA.

The fifth game approaches with the matchup reset and energy swinging to Toronto. Dodgers left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Toronto's surge. The Blue Jays counter with rookie Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of the opener, when the Blue Jays knocked out the starter early in an 11-4 win.