🔗 Share this article

This year's World Series is going to a final Game 7 following the Los Angeles Dodgers kept alive their repeat hopes intact on Friday with a 3–1 win over the Blue Jays in Game 6.

The defending champions halted Toronto’s late-game comeback with a dramatic final twin killing, silencing a Rogers Centre audience that had arrived prepared to cheer the city’s championship in 32 years.

Game 6 Summary

The Dodgers generated all of their offense in the third frame. With two away, Shohei Ohtani was intentionally walked before Smith doubled to left to score Edman. Freddie Freeman drew a walk to load the bases, and Betts delivered with a two-run single to the opposite field, giving the Dodgers a three-run lead.

That key hit snapped a postseason slump and revived the defending champions’ hopes of becoming the initial back-to-back World Series winners since the New York Yankees captured three straight from 1998 through 2000.

Pitching Battle

Gausman had been dominant to that stage, fanning six of the first seven batters he confronted. He struck out 8 through three innings, matching a World Series mark, but the third-inning barrage proved costly. The Blue Jays' star ended with 8 Ks over six innings, allowing three runs on three safeties and two walks.

Yamamoto, meanwhile, was steady again under stress. The righty outdueled his counterpart for the second occasion in a seven days, allowing one run on five hits over six frames with six Ks. He improved to 4–1 this playoffs with a 1.56 ERA.

The lone score against him resulted from Springer’s two-out base hit in the third inning, driving in Barger, who had doubled previously in the frame. Springer’s hit offered a momentary lift in his return to the starting nine after missing a pair of contests with an oblique injury.

Bullpen Effort

From there, the Los Angeles relievers took over. First-year pitcher Justin Wrobleski escaped a tight spot in the seventh, and another rookie Rōki Sasaki pitched into the ninth before plunking Alejandro Kirk to open the frame. Addison Barger then hit a two-base hit that got stuck under the left-center-field fence, forcing base runners to hold at second and third.

Tyler Glasnow, Los Angeles’ third game starting pitcher, entered in relief and got a pop fly before Giménez hit a line drive to left. Hernández caught the ball and threw to second base to double off Barger, clinching the victory and earning the pitcher his first career successful save.

Looking Ahead: Seventh Game

The series now comes down to one game. Scherzer will take the mound for the Blue Jays, becoming the only living pitcher to start multiple seventh games of the World Series after accomplishing that in 2019 with Washington. The 40-year-old inked a one-year deal to pursue another championship and has been a vocal leader throughout this playoff run.

The Los Angeles squad, looking to become baseball’s initial repeat champions in almost 25 years, are expected to lean on their two-way star for a brief appearance.