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Less than a day after staggering through one of the most draining losses in Fall Classic annals, the Blue Jays played with total control.

Guerrero smashed a two-run homer and Bieber provided a steady outing as Toronto beat the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at their home ballpark, squaring the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and ensuring the series will return to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had spent the morning of Tuesday dealing with their 18-inning third game defeat – tied for the longest Fall Classic game ever – a defeat that cost them the chance to lead the series and depleted both relief corps. Manager Schneider insisted later that “the Dodgers won a contest, not the championship”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad provided emphatic evidence.

Early Action

The Los Angeles again scored first. Max Muncy walked in the second inning, moved up on a base hit and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the early breakthrough did not rattle a Toronto team that led Major League Baseball with 49 comeback wins this season.

They answered right away in the third. Nathan Lukes hit a one-out base hit to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate hunting a curveball. Shohei Ohtani threw a sweeper up and he drove it soaring over the left-center wall. It was his first extra-base hit of the World Series and his seventh home run this postseason – a fresh club mark – restoring the Toronto's advantage after 13 shutout frames and changing the tone of the night.

Ohtani's Night

That swing also ended Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 straight at-bats getting on base. The two-way phenomenon had hit two home runs and reached safely a record nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 walk-off. But on that night, he took the mound on limited rest – his briefest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the previous marathon.

His pitch speed sat below his regular-season average and he labored more as the contest progressed. Even so, he displayed glimpses of his usual command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and striking out six. He even walked in the first to continue his Fall Classic record. But the Blue Jays made him work: six base hits and four runs were credited to him in six-plus innings.

Seventh Inning Surge

The bigger problem for Los Angeles was what followed when he finally ran out of steam.

Varsho started the seventh with a sharp hit to right, and Ernie Clement smashed a two-base hit off the wall to put two on with none out. Dave Roberts had little choice but to pull the starter, who departed to a standing ovation from the local fans. The Dodgers' bullpen could not complete the escape.

Anthony Banda came into the mess and immediately trailed in the count. Giménez battled to a full count before scoring the runner with a base hit to left. France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to knock the pitcher out of the contest. Blake Treinen came in next but also failed to stem the rally: Bichette and Addison Barger hit RBI singles through the diamond, completing a four-run barrage that extended the margin to 6-1.

Toronto's Toughness

The Blue Jays's ability to withstand initial blows and respond has defined their entire postseason. They once again did it without George Springer, the injured top-of-the-order man who left Game 3 after straining his oblique.

Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what Toronto needed. Acquired mid-season while completing recovery from elbow surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner left several baserunners and silenced the Los Angeles' potent batting order. He gave up one earned run on four base hits and three free passes before Schneider summoned first-year left-hander Mason Fluharty to face the core of the order in the sixth inning. Fluharty required just four throws to retire Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a narrow lead that soon grew comfortable.

Former starting pitcher Chris Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' bats continued to sputter. Los Angeles have scored only three runs over their last 20 innings, an abrupt downturn for a team that ranked among baseball's top lineups all season.

Closing Innings

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

Following a night when the Blue Jays left a Fall Classic-record 19 runners and collapsed after wave upon wave of missed opportunities, Game 4 was brutally efficient. 6 separate Toronto players collected base hits, 5 brought home scores and the team converted nearly every scoring chance available in the final innings.

Looking Ahead

The victory guarantees the championship title will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Toronto have not celebrated a championship since Carter's famous game-winning homer in 1993. They now are aware they are guaranteed a full house in Toronto on Friday evening – and possibly Saturday – no matter what happens next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game approaches with the matchup reset and energy shifting to Toronto. Dodgers pitcher Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try to arrest the Toronto's surge. The Blue Jays respond with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Toronto chased the starter early in an 11-4 victory.