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Only 24 hours after staggering through one of the most draining defeats in World Series history, the Toronto Blue Jays displayed complete command.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run home run and Shane Bieber delivered a steady outing as the Blue Jays beat the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at their home ballpark, squaring the World Series at two wins apiece and ensuring the series will return to Canada.

Toronto had spent the early hours of Tuesday dealing with their marathon Game 3 loss – equal to the lengthiest World Series contest ever – a defeat that denied them the opportunity to lead the matchup and burned through both relief corps. Skipper Schneider insisted later that “the Dodgers won a contest, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad offered convincing evidence.

Initial Innings

The Los Angeles again scored first. Muncy walked in the second inning, advanced on a single and scored on Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the initial score did not rattle a Blue Jays team that topped Major League Baseball with 49 comeback wins this season.

They answered right away in the third. Lukes hit a one away single to center field and Guerrero came to the plate hunting a curveball. Ohtani left a slider up and Guerrero drove it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his first extra-base hit of the series and his seventh homer this playoffs – a fresh team mark – regaining the Toronto's advantage after 13 scoreless frames and shifting the momentum of the game.

Ohtani's Performance

That swing also ended Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 straight plate appearances reaching base. The two-way star had smashed two home runs and got on base a historic nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 walk-off. But on that night, he took the mound on limited rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the previous extra-inning game.

His fastball velocity sat below his seasonal average and he struggled more as the game progressed. Even so, he showed glimpses of his usual control, setting down 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 Toronto forced him to labor: six hits and four earned runs were charged to him in over six frames.

Late Game Rally

The bigger problem for the Dodgers was what came next when he eventually lost steam.

Varsho started the seventh inning with a clean hit to right, and Ernie Clement drilled a two-base hit off the fence to put runners on with none out. Dave Roberts had little choice 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 came into the jam and right away trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez battled to a 3-2 count before driving in the runner with a single to left. France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to remove Banda out of the contest. Blake Treinen entered next but also was unable to stem the rally: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger punched run-scoring singles through the infield, completing a four-run outburst that pushed the margin to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Blue Jays's ability to withstand initial setbacks and respond has defined their whole run. They once again succeeded without Springer, the injured top-of-the-order hitter who exited the third game after straining his oblique.

Shane Bieber, meanwhile, was exactly what the Blue Jays needed. Traded for mid-season while completing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the ex- Cy Young winner left several baserunners and silenced the Los Angeles' dangerous batting order. He gave up one earned run on four hits and three walks before Schneider called on first-year pitcher Fluharty to confront the core of the lineup in the sixth. Fluharty required just 4 pitches to retire Muncy and Tommy Edman, preserving a fragile advantage that quickly became safe.

Converted starter Chris Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth innings as the Dodgers' bats continued to sputter. Los Angeles have scored only 3 runs over their last 20 frames, an sudden downturn for a team that was among MLB's top lineups all year.

Final Moments

The Los Angeles managed a run in the ninth when Edman hit into an out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a walk and Muncy's double put runners aboard. But Varland finished the game without allowing a comeback to build.

After a game when Toronto left a World Series-record 19 runners and collapsed after repeated of missed opportunities, Game 4 was ruthlessly efficient. Six different Blue Jays collected hits, 5 drove in scores and the team cashed nearly every scoring chance presented in the final innings.

Looking Ahead

The victory guarantees the World Series title will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a championship since Carter's iconic game-winning home run in 1993. They now know they are guaranteed a packed house in Toronto on Friday night – and possibly the next day – no matter what occurs next in LA.

Game 5 looms with the matchup reset and energy shifting north. Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Blue Jays's momentum. The Blue Jays respond with first-year player Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a rematch of Game 1, when the Blue Jays knocked out Snell quickly in an decisive victory.