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

Vladimir Guerrero Jr smashed a two-run homer and Shane Bieber delivered a steady outing as the Blue Jays beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 in the fourth game on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium, squaring the Fall Classic at two wins apiece and guaranteeing the matchup will head back to Canada.

Toronto had spent the early hours of the next day dealing with their 18-inning Game 3 loss – equal to the lengthiest Fall Classic contest ever – a loss that cost them the opportunity to take the lead in the matchup and depleted both bullpens. Skipper Schneider insisted later that “they took a contest, not the World Series”. A day later, his team offered convincing proof.

Early Action

The Dodgers again struck first. Muncy drew a walk in the second, moved up on a single and crossed the plate on Kiké Hernández's fly out. But the initial breakthrough did not rattle a Toronto club that topped Major League Baseball with 49 come-from-behind victories this season.

They answered right away in the third inning. Nathan Lukes lined a one-out base hit to center field and Vladimir Guerrero Jr came to the plate looking for a curveball. Ohtani threw a slider up and he drove it screaming over the outfield fence. It was his first long hit of the series and his 7th home run this postseason – a new club mark – regaining the Blue Jays's advantage after 13 shutout frames and changing the momentum of the game.

Shohei's Performance

That swing also halted Ohtani's history-making streak of 11 consecutive at-bats getting on base. The dual-threat phenomenon had smashed two homers and got on base a record nine times in the Dodgers' third game comeback win. But on that night, he started on limited rest – his shortest ever – after requiring an IV to recover from the prior extra-inning game.

Ohtani fastball velocity sat below his regular-season average and he struggled more as the contest progressed. Nonetheless, he showed glimpses of his typical command, setting down 11 of 12 after Guerrero Jr's homer and striking out six. He even drew a walk in the first inning to extend his Fall Classic streak. But the Blue Jays made him work: six base hits and four runs were charged to him in over six innings.

Seventh Inning Rally

The bigger problem for the Dodgers was what followed when he eventually ran out of steam.

Daulton Varsho started the seventh inning with a clean single to right, and Clement smashed a double off the fence to put two on with no outs. Dave Roberts had little choice but to remove Ohtani, 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 mess and right away fell behind. Andrés Giménez battled to a full count before scoring the runner with a single to left field. Ty France followed with a fielder's choice to make it 4-1, and that was enough to remove the pitcher out of the game. Blake Treinen entered next but also failed to stem the momentum: Bichette and Addison Barger punched RBI base hits through the diamond, capping a four-run barrage that pushed the lead to 6-1.

Blue Jays's Resilience

The Toronto's capacity to withstand initial blows and answer has defined their entire run. They once again did it without Springer, the hurt leadoff hitter who exited Game 3 after tweaking his right side.

Shane Bieber, in contrast, was everything the Blue Jays needed. Traded for during the summer while completing recovery from Tommy John surgery, the former Cy Young winner left several runners and silenced the Dodgers' potent batting order. He allowed one run on four hits and three free passes before the manager called on first-year pitcher Fluharty to confront the heart of the lineup in the sixth. Fluharty required just four throws to retire Max Muncy and Edman, preserving a narrow advantage that soon became safe.

Former starter Chris Bassitt then worked a clean seventh and eighth as the Dodgers' offense continued to struggle. The Dodgers have produced only three runs over their last 20 frames, an sudden slowdown for a club that ranked among MLB's top offenses all season.

Closing Innings

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

Following a game when the Blue Jays left a World Series-record 19 runners and collapsed after wave upon wave of missed opportunities, the fourth contest was brutally efficient. Six different Blue Jays collected hits, five drove in scores and the squad cashed nearly every scoring chance available in the late stanzas.

Looking Ahead

The win guarantees the World Series title will be presented at their home stadium, where the Blue Jays have not celebrated a title since Joe Carter's iconic walk-off home run in 1993. They now are aware they are guaranteed a full crowd in Toronto on Friday evening – and possibly Saturday – no matter what occurs next in Los Angeles.

The fifth game approaches with the series reset and energy shifting to Toronto. Los Angeles left-hander Blake Snell (3-1, 2.42 ERA) will attempt to arrest the Toronto's surge. Toronto respond with rookie Trey Yesavage (2-1, 4.26 ERA) in a repeat of the opener, when the Blue Jays chased the starter early in an 11-4 victory.