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Only 24 hours after staggering through one of the most draining losses in World Series annals, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed total control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run home run and Bieber provided a composed start as the Blue Jays defeated the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, squaring the World Series at two games each and guaranteeing the series will head back to Canada.

The Blue Jays had passed the morning of the next day processing their marathon third game defeat – tied for the longest Fall Classic game ever – a loss that denied them the chance to take the lead in the matchup and depleted both relief corps. Manager John Schneider stated later that “they took a contest, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad provided emphatic evidence.

Early Action

The Los Angeles again scored first. Muncy drew a walk in the second, moved up on a single and scored on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial breakthrough did not shake a Toronto club that topped MLB with 49 comeback wins this year.

They answered immediately in the third inning. Nathan Lukes lined a one-out base hit to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in looking for a breaking ball. Ohtani threw a sweeper up and Guerrero sent it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his first long hit of the World Series and his 7th home run this postseason – a fresh team record – restoring the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 scoreless innings and shifting the tone of the game.

Shohei's Night

That swing also ended Shohei Ohtani's history-making run of 11 straight plate appearances getting on base. The two-way star had smashed two homers and reached safely a record nine times in the Los Angeles' Game 3 comeback win. But on that night, he started on limited rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the prior extra-inning game.

Ohtani pitch speed was below his regular-season norm and he labored more as the game wore on. Even so, he displayed glimpses of his typical command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero's blast and fanning six. He even walked in the first inning to extend his Fall Classic streak. But the Blue Jays made him work: six base hits and four earned runs were charged to him in six-plus frames.

Seventh Inning Rally

The larger issue for Los Angeles was what came next when he finally ran out of energy.

Varsho started the seventh inning with a clean hit to right field, and Ernie Clement smashed a two-base hit off the wall to put runners on with none out. Roberts had no option but to remove Ohtani, who exited to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Dodgers' bullpen could not finish the inning.

Banda came into the mess and immediately fell behind. Giménez battled to a full count before driving in Varsho with a single to left field. France came up next with a groundout to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock the pitcher out of the contest. Treinen came in next but also failed to stop the rally: Bo Bichette and Barger hit RBI base hits through the diamond, capping a four-run outburst that extended the lead to 6-1.

Toronto's Resilience

The Toronto's ability to withstand initial setbacks and respond has defined their entire run. They once again did it without Springer, the hurt top-of-the-order man who left the third game after straining his oblique.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what the Blue Jays needed. Traded for mid-season while completing recovery from elbow surgery, the ex- award-winning winner stranded several baserunners and silenced the Los Angeles' dangerous lineup. He allowed one run on four base hits and three free passes before the manager called on first-year left-hander Mason Fluharty to confront the core of the lineup in the sixth inning. Fluharty required just 4 pitches to get out Muncy and Edman, preserving a narrow advantage that soon became safe.

Former starter Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' bats kept to sputter. Los Angeles have scored only 3 scores over their last 20 frames, an abrupt downturn for a team that was among MLB's elite offenses all year.

Final Innings

The Dodgers scraped a score in the ninth inning when Edman grounded out to score Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's double put runners aboard. But Varland finished the game without allowing a rally to develop.

Following a night when Toronto stranded a World Series-record 19 baserunners and collapsed after wave upon wave of missed opportunities, Game 4 was ruthlessly effective. 6 different Toronto players recorded base hits, 5 drove in scores and the team cashed nearly every run-scoring opportunity available in the final stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The victory ensures the championship trophy will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not celebrated a championship since Joe Carter's famous walk-off homer in '93. They now are aware they are assured a packed crowd in Toronto on Friday evening – and possibly the next day – no matter what occurs next in LA.

Game 5 looms with the matchup even and momentum swinging to Toronto. Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to halt the Blue Jays's momentum. The Blue Jays respond with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of Game 1, when the Blue Jays chased the starter quickly in an decisive win.