Los Angeles Dodgers Survive in Toronto to Force Winner-Take-All Game 7 in Fall Classic

This year's championship series is headed to a final Game 7 after the Los Angeles Dodgers kept alive their repeat dreams intact Friday night with a 3–1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 6.

The defending champions halted Toronto’s late-game comeback with a thrilling final twin killing, stunning a Rogers Centre audience that had arrived prepared to cheer the team's first title in 32 years.

Sixth Game Summary

The Dodgers produced all of their offense in the third inning. With two away, Ohtani was purposely passed before Smith hit a two-bagger to left to score Edman. Freeman drew a walk to fill the bases, and Mookie Betts delivered with a two-RBI hit to left, giving the Dodgers a three-run advantage.

Betts’ hit broke a postseason slump and rekindled the title holders' hopes of being the initial back-to-back championship victors since the New York Yankees captured three consecutive from 1998 through 2000.

Pitching Battle

Gausman had been dominant to that point, fanning half a dozen of the initial seven Dodgers he confronted. He struck out eight through three innings, tying a World Series mark, but the third-frame rally proved costly. The Blue Jays' star ended with eight strikeouts over six innings, allowing three runs on three hits and two free passes.

Yamamoto, meanwhile, was solid again under pressure. The 27-year-old right-hander outdueled his counterpart for the second time in a seven days, allowing one run on five hits over six innings with six Ks. He improved to four wins and one loss this postseason with a 1.56 ERA.

The only run against him came on Springer’s two-out single in the third inning, scoring Barger, who had hit a double previously in the frame. That single offered a brief spark in his return to the lineup after missing two games with an oblique injury.

Relief Heroics

From there, the Los Angeles relievers carried the load. First-year pitcher Justin Wrobleski escaped a jam in the seventh, and another rookie Rōki Sasaki pitched into the ninth before hitting Alejandro Kirk to open the inning. Barger followed with a two-base hit that became wedged under the outfield wall, obliging runners to hold at second and third.

Glasnow, the Dodgers' Game 3 starting pitcher, came on in a relief role and induced a popout before Giménez hit a line drive to left field. Hernández made the catch and fired to second to retire the runner, sealing the win and earning Glasnow his first-ever successful save.

Next Up: Seventh Game

The best-of-seven now boils down to one game. Scherzer will start for Toronto, making him the sole active hurler to pitch in multiple World Series Game 7s after doing so in the 2019 season with the Nationals. The veteran inked a single-season contract to chase one more title and has been a outspoken presence throughout this postseason.

The Los Angeles squad, looking to be baseball’s first back-to-back champions in almost 25 years, are expected to lean on their two-way star for a short outing.