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The World Series is headed to a final seventh game following the Dodgers kept alive their repeat hopes intact on Friday with a 3–1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 6.

The reigning title holders halted Toronto’s late-game comeback with a thrilling final twin killing, silencing a Rogers Centre crowd that had arrived prepared to cheer the city’s championship in over three decades.

Game 6 Summary

The Dodgers generated all of their offense in the third frame. With two outs, Shohei Ohtani was intentionally walked before Will Smith doubled to left field to bring home Edman. Freddie Freeman earned a base on balls to load the bases, and Mookie Betts delivered with a two-RBI hit to left, handing the Dodgers a three-run advantage.

Betts’ hit snapped a postseason slump and revived the defending champions’ hopes of being the first repeat championship victors since the New York Yankees won three consecutive from 1998 through 2000.

Pitching Battle

Gausman had been dominant to that point, fanning half a dozen of the first seven batters he confronted. He struck out eight through three innings, tying a Fall Classic record, but the third-frame rally proved costly. The Toronto ace ended with 8 Ks over six frames, allowing three runs on three safeties and two free passes.

Yamamoto, in contrast, was solid again under stress. The righty outpitched his counterpart for the second time in a week, giving up one run on five hits over six innings with six strikeouts. He improved to 4–1 this postseason with a 1.56 ERA.

The only run against him came on George Springer two-out base hit in the third inning, scoring Barger, who had doubled previously in the frame. That single provided a brief spark in his return to the starting nine after sitting out two games with an oblique injury.

Bullpen Effort

After that, the Dodgers’ bullpen carried the load. Rookie Justin Wrobleski got out of a jam in the seventh, and fellow rookie Rōki Sasaki worked into the ninth before hitting Alejandro Kirk to start the inning. Addison Barger followed with a two-base hit that got stuck under the outfield wall, forcing runners to stay at second and third base.

Tyler Glasnow, Los Angeles’ Game 3 starter, came on in relief and induced a popout before Giménez hit a line drive to left field. Enrique Hernández made the catch and fired to second to double off the runner, sealing the victory and giving Glasnow his first-ever save.

Looking Ahead: Game 7

The best-of-seven now boils down to a single contest. Scherzer will take the mound for the Blue Jays, making him the sole active hurler to start more than one World Series Game 7s after accomplishing that in the 2019 season with the Nationals. The veteran signed a single-season contract to pursue another championship and has been a vocal leader throughout this postseason.

The Dodgers, aiming to become the sport's first back-to-back title winners in nearly a quarter-century, are expected to rely on Shohei Ohtani for a brief appearance.