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Only 24 hours following enduring one of the most draining losses in Fall Classic annals, the Blue Jays displayed total control.

Guerrero crushed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber delivered a composed outing as the Blue Jays defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday evening at Dodger Stadium, tying the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the matchup will return to Toronto.

The Blue Jays had passed the morning of the next day dealing with their marathon third game defeat – tied for the longest Fall Classic contest ever – a defeat that cost them the chance to lead the series and depleted both relief corps. Manager Schneider insisted later that “the Dodgers took a game, not the World Series”. Twenty-three hours later, his squad provided emphatic proof.

Initial Action

The Dodgers again scored first. Max Muncy walked in the second, advanced on a single and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the initial breakthrough did not rattle a Toronto club that led Major League Baseball with 49 comeback victories this year.

They answered right away in the third. Lukes hit a one-out base hit to centre and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in hunting a curveball. Ohtani left a slider up and Guerrero drove it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his initial long hit of the series and his 7th homer this playoffs – a fresh club record – regaining the Toronto's advantage after 13 shutout frames and changing the tone of the game.

Ohtani's Performance

That swing also ended Shohei Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 straight plate appearances reaching base. The dual-threat star had hit two homers and reached safely a historic nine times in the Los Angeles' third game walk-off. But on Tuesday, he took the mound on short rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recuperate from the previous marathon.

Ohtani fastball velocity sat below his regular-season norm and he labored more as the contest progressed. Nonetheless, he displayed glimpses of his usual control, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero's homer and fanning 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 credited to him in over six frames.

Seventh Inning Surge

The larger problem for Los Angeles was what followed when he finally lost steam.

Varsho opened the seventh inning with a sharp hit to right field, and Clement drilled a two-base hit off the wall to put two on with no outs. Dave Roberts had little choice but to pull the starter, who exited to a roaring applause from the home crowd. The Los Angeles' relief corps could not complete the escape.

Anthony Banda came into the jam and immediately fell behind. Giménez battled to a full count before driving in Varsho with a base hit to left field. Ty France came up next with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was sufficient to knock the pitcher out of the contest. Blake Treinen came in next but also failed to stop the momentum: Bichette and Barger punched RBI base hits through the infield, capping a four-run outburst that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Toughness

The Toronto's capacity to absorb initial setbacks and respond has characterized their whole run. They once again did it without George Springer, the injured top-of-the-order man who exited Game 3 after tweaking his oblique.

Bieber, in contrast, was everything the Blue Jays needed. Acquired during the summer while finishing rehab from elbow surgery, the former award-winning winner left multiple runners and quieted the Dodgers' potent batting order. He gave up one run on four hits and three free passes before the manager summoned first-year pitcher Fluharty to confront the core of the order in the sixth. He required just 4 throws to retire Max Muncy and Edman, preserving a narrow advantage that quickly grew safe.

Converted starter Bassitt then worked a scoreless seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' offense kept to sputter. Los Angeles have scored only 3 runs over their last 20 frames, an abrupt slowdown for a team that was among baseball's elite offenses all season.

Final Innings

The Los Angeles managed a score in the ninth when Edman grounded out to bring home Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Max Muncy's double put runners on base. But Varland finished the game without permitting a rally to build.

Following a night when the Blue Jays stranded a Fall Classic-record 19 baserunners and fell apart after repeated of wasted chances, the fourth contest was brutally efficient. 6 different Toronto players collected hits, 5 brought home runs and the squad cashed almost every run-scoring opportunity presented in the late stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The victory guarantees the championship title will be presented at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not won a title since Carter's famous walk-off home run in '93. They now are aware they are guaranteed a full house in Canada on Friday evening – and perhaps the next day – no matter what happens next in LA.

The fifth game looms with the series reset and momentum shifting to Toronto. Los Angeles left-hander Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will try 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 the opener, when the Blue Jays chased the starter early in an decisive victory.