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Only 24 hours following staggering through one of the most draining defeats in World Series history, the Toronto Blue Jays played with complete control.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr crushed a two-run home run and Bieber provided a composed outing as Toronto beat the Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, tying the World Series at two games each and ensuring the series will return to Toronto.

Toronto had passed the morning of Tuesday processing their marathon Game 3 loss – tied for the longest World Series game ever – a loss that cost them the chance to lead the series and burned through both relief corps. Skipper Schneider insisted afterwards that “the Dodgers won a game, not the championship”. A day later, his team provided emphatic evidence.

Initial Innings

The Los Angeles again scored first. Max Muncy walked in the second, advanced on a single and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's sacrifice fly. But the early breakthrough did not rattle a Toronto team that topped MLB with 49 come-from-behind wins this season.

They answered immediately in the third inning. Lukes hit a one away base hit to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr stepped in hunting a breaking ball. Shohei Ohtani threw a sweeper up and he sent it screaming over the left-center wall. It was his initial extra-base hit of the series and his 7th home run this playoffs – a new club mark – restoring the Toronto's advantage after 13 shutout innings and shifting the momentum of the night.

Ohtani's Night

That hit also halted Ohtani's record-setting run of 11 consecutive at-bats reaching base. The dual-threat star had hit two homers and reached safely a record nine times in the Dodgers' Game 3 comeback win. But on Tuesday, he started on short rest – his briefest ever – after needing an IV to recover from the prior marathon.

His pitch speed sat below his seasonal norm and he labored more as the game progressed. Even so, he displayed flashes of his usual command, retiring 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to continue his World Series record. But the Toronto forced him to labor: six base hits and four earned runs were charged to him in over six frames.

Seventh Inning Surge

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

Daulton Varsho opened the seventh with a sharp hit to right, and Ernie Clement drilled a two-base hit off the fence to put two on with no outs. Dave Roberts had no option but to remove the starter, who departed to a roaring applause from the local fans. The Dodgers' relief corps could not complete the inning.

Anthony Banda inherited the jam and immediately trailed in the count. Andrés Giménez fought 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 sufficient to knock the pitcher out of the contest. Treinen came in next but also failed to stem the rally: Bo Bichette and Addison Barger punched run-scoring singles through the infield, completing a four-score outburst that extended the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Toronto's capacity to absorb early setbacks and respond has defined their whole postseason. They once again did it without Springer, the injured leadoff hitter who left Game 3 after straining his right side.

Bieber, in contrast, was exactly what the Blue Jays required. Acquired during the summer while finishing recovery from elbow surgery, the ex- award-winning winner stranded multiple runners and quieted the Dodgers' dangerous lineup. He gave up one earned run on four base hits and three free passes before the manager called on first-year left-hander Mason Fluharty to face the core of the lineup in the sixth inning. He required just 4 pitches to retire Max Muncy and Edman, protecting a narrow lead that quickly grew comfortable.

Converted starting pitcher Bassitt then pitched a clean seventh and eighth as the Los Angeles' bats kept to sputter. The Dodgers have produced only three runs over their previous 20 innings, an sudden slowdown for a team that ranked among baseball's top lineups all season.

Final Innings

The Dodgers scraped a run in the ninth inning when Tommy Edman grounded out to score Teoscar Hernández after a base on balls and Muncy's two-base hit put runners on base. But Varland closed it down without allowing a rally to build.

After a game when the Blue Jays stranded a World Series-record 19 runners and fell apart after repeated of missed chances, Game 4 was ruthlessly efficient. 6 separate Blue Jays recorded base hits, five brought home runs and the squad converted nearly every scoring chance presented in the late innings.

Looking Ahead

The victory ensures the championship title will be awarded at Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a title since Joe Carter's iconic walk-off home run in '93. They now know they are assured a packed house in Toronto on Friday night – and possibly Saturday – no matter what happens next in LA.

Game 5 approaches 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 surge. Toronto respond with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Toronto chased the starter quickly in an decisive victory.