🔗 Share this article

The championship series is going to a final seventh game after the Los Angeles Dodgers kept their repeat dreams alive on Friday with a 3–1 victory over the Blue Jays in Game 6.

The reigning title holders halted Toronto’s ninth-inning rally with a dramatic final double play, silencing a Rogers Centre crowd that had arrived prepared to cheer the team's championship in over three decades.

Sixth Game Summary

Los Angeles produced all of their scoring in the third inning. With two outs, Ohtani was purposely passed before Will Smith hit a two-bagger to left field to score Tommy Edman. Freeman earned a base on balls to fill the bases, and Betts came through with a two-run single to left, handing the Dodgers a 3–0 advantage.

That key hit broke a playoff dry spell and rekindled the defending champions’ aspirations of being the first repeat World Series victors since the Yankees captured three straight from 1998 to 2000.

Mound Battle

Kevin Gausman had been dominant to that stage, striking out half a dozen of the initial seven batters he faced. He struck out 8 through three frames, tying a Fall Classic mark, but the third-frame rally proved decisive. The Toronto ace ended with eight strikeouts over six innings, yielding three earned runs on three safeties and two walks.

Yamamoto, meanwhile, was solid again under pressure. The righty outpitched his counterpart for the second time in a week, giving up a single run on five base hits over six innings with six strikeouts. He boosted his record to 4–1 this playoffs with a 1.56 ERA.

The lone score against him resulted from Springer’s two-out single in the third inning, scoring Addison Barger, who had hit a double earlier in the inning. That single offered a brief spark in his return to the lineup after sitting out two games with an side strain.

Bullpen Effort

After that, the Los Angeles relievers carried the load. Rookie Justin Wrobleski got out of a tight spot in the seventh, and fellow rookie Sasaki pitched into the ninth inning before plunking Kirk to open the frame. Barger followed with a double that got stuck under the outfield wall, forcing runners to stay at second and third base.

Tyler Glasnow, Los Angeles’ third game starter, entered in a relief role and induced a popout before Andrés Giménez hit a line drive to left field. Hernández made the catch and threw to second base to double off Barger, clinching the victory and giving Glasnow his first-ever successful save.

Next Up: Seventh Game

The best-of-seven now boils down to one game. Max Scherzer will start for the Blue Jays, making him the sole active hurler to start more than one World Series Game 7s after accomplishing that in 2019 with Washington. The 40-year-old signed a single-season contract to chase another championship and has been a vocal leader throughout this playoff run.

The Dodgers, aiming to become the sport's initial repeat champions in nearly a quarter-century, are expected to rely on their two-way star for a brief appearance.