LA Dodgers Survive in Toronto to Set Up Decisive Game 7 in World Series

This year's championship series is headed to a final seventh game after the Dodgers kept alive their repeat hopes alive on Friday with a 3–1 victory 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 home audience that had arrived prepared to cheer the city’s championship in 32 years.

Game 6 Recap

The Dodgers generated all of their scoring in the third inning. With two away, Ohtani was purposely passed before Will Smith doubled to left to score Edman. Freddie Freeman drew a walk to fill the bases, and Betts came through 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’ aspirations of becoming the first repeat World Series victors since the Yankees captured three consecutive from 1998 to 2000.

Mound Duel

Gausman had been dominant to that stage, fanning six of the initial seven Dodgers he faced. He fanned 8 through three frames, tying a World Series mark, but the third-inning barrage proved decisive. The Blue Jays' star finished with 8 Ks over six innings, yielding three earned runs on three safeties and two walks.

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

The only run against him resulted from George Springer two-out base hit in the third inning, driving in Barger, who had doubled earlier in the inning. That single provided a momentary lift in his return to the lineup after sitting out a pair of contests with an oblique injury.

Relief Heroics

After that, the Dodgers’ bullpen carried the load. First-year pitcher Wrobleski escaped a tight spot in the seventh inning, and fellow rookie Rōki Sasaki worked into the ninth inning before hitting Kirk to open the frame. Addison Barger then hit a double that got stuck under the outfield wall, obliging base runners to hold at second and third.

Glasnow, Los Angeles’ Game 3 starter, entered in relief and got a popout before Giménez hit a line drive to left field. Hernández caught the ball and fired to second base to retire the runner, sealing the victory and earning Glasnow his first-ever save.

Next Up: Seventh Game

The best-of-seven now boils down to a single contest. Max Scherzer will start for the Blue Jays, making him the only living pitcher to pitch in multiple seventh games of the World Series after accomplishing that in 2019 with the Nationals. The veteran inked a one-year deal to chase one more title and has been a outspoken presence throughout this postseason.

The Los Angeles squad, aiming to be the sport's initial repeat title winners in almost 25 years, are projected to rely on their two-way star for a brief appearance.