🔗 Share this article

The championship series is going to a decisive seventh game following the Dodgers kept alive their repeat hopes alive on Friday with a three to one win over the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 6.

The defending champions halted Toronto’s late-game comeback with a thrilling final double play, stunning a home crowd that had arrived prepared to cheer the city’s championship in 32 years.

Sixth Game Summary

Los Angeles generated all of their scoring in the third frame. With two away, Shohei Ohtani was intentionally walked before Smith doubled to left field to bring home Tommy Edman. Freeman drew a walk to load the bases, and Mookie Betts delivered with a two-RBI hit to the opposite field, giving the Dodgers a 3–0 advantage.

Betts’ hit broke a playoff dry spell and rekindled the title holders' aspirations of being the first repeat championship winners since the New York Yankees captured three consecutive from 1998 through 2000.

Pitching Battle

Gausman had been dominant to that point, striking out six of the first seven Dodgers he faced. He struck out 8 through three innings, tying a World Series record, but the third-frame rally proved decisive. The Blue Jays' star finished with 8 Ks over six innings, yielding three earned runs on three safeties and two walks.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, in contrast, was steady again under pressure. The 27-year-old right-hander outdueled Gausman for the second occasion in a week, giving up one run on five hits over six innings with six Ks. He improved to 4–1 this playoffs with a 1.56 ERA.

The only run against him resulted from Springer’s two-out base hit in the third, driving in Barger, who had hit a double previously in the frame. Springer’s hit provided a brief spark in his comeback to the starting nine after sitting out a pair of contests with an oblique injury.

Relief Heroics

After that, the Dodgers’ bullpen took over. First-year pitcher Justin Wrobleski got out of a tight spot in the seventh, and fellow rookie Rōki Sasaki pitched into the ninth before plunking Alejandro Kirk to open the inning. Addison Barger then hit a double that became wedged under the left-center-field fence, forcing runners to hold at second and third.

Glasnow, Los Angeles’ third game starting pitcher, entered in relief and got a popout before Andrés Giménez hit a line drive to left field. Enrique Hernández caught the ball and fired to second base to double off the runner, clinching the win and earning Glasnow his first career successful save.

Looking Ahead: Game 7

The best-of-seven now boils down to a single contest. Scherzer will start for Toronto, making him the only living pitcher to pitch in more than one World Series Game 7s after accomplishing that in 2019 with Washington. The 40-year-old signed a single-season contract to pursue another championship and has been a vocal leader throughout this postseason.

The Los Angeles squad, aiming to become the sport's first back-to-back champions in nearly a quarter-century, are projected to rely on Shohei Ohtani for a short outing.