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The championship series is going to a decisive Game 7 following the Los Angeles Dodgers kept their title defense hopes alive Friday night with a 3–1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 6.

The reigning title holders halted Toronto’s ninth-inning rally with a thrilling game-ending double play, silencing a Rogers Centre crowd that had arrived prepared to celebrate the city’s first title in over three decades.

Sixth Game Summary

Los Angeles produced all of their offense in the third inning. With two away, Shohei Ohtani was intentionally walked before Will Smith hit a two-bagger to left field to score Tommy Edman. Freddie Freeman earned a base on balls to load the bases, and Mookie Betts came through with a two-RBI hit to left, handing the Dodgers a three-run advantage.

Betts’ hit broke a playoff dry spell and revived the defending champions’ aspirations of becoming the first repeat championship victors since the Yankees captured three consecutive from 1998 to 2000.

Mound Battle

Kevin Gausman had been nearly unhittable to that stage, fanning six of the initial seven batters he confronted. He struck out eight through three frames, matching a World Series mark, but the third-inning barrage proved costly. The Toronto ace ended with 8 Ks over six frames, yielding three runs on three safeties and two walks.

Yamamoto, meanwhile, was steady again under stress. The 27-year-old right-hander 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 improved to 4–1 this playoffs with a 1.56 ERA.

The lone score against him resulted from George Springer two-out base hit in the third, scoring Barger, who had hit a double earlier in the inning. That single provided a momentary lift in his comeback to the lineup after sitting out two games with an side strain.

Bullpen Heroics

After that, the Dodgers’ bullpen carried the load. First-year pitcher Justin Wrobleski got out of a jam in the seventh, and another rookie Rōki Sasaki pitched into the ninth inning before plunking Alejandro Kirk to start the inning. Barger followed with a double that got stuck under the outfield wall, forcing base runners to stay at second and third.

Tyler Glasnow, the Dodgers' third game starter, entered in relief and got a popout before Giménez hit a line drive to left. Enrique Hernández caught the ball and threw to second base to retire the runner, sealing the win and giving the pitcher his first career save.

Looking Ahead: Seventh Game

The best-of-seven now boils down to a single contest. Max Scherzer will take the mound for Toronto, making him the sole active hurler to pitch in multiple seventh games of the World Series after doing so in the 2019 season with the Nationals. The veteran inked a one-year deal to chase one more title and has been a vocal leader throughout this postseason.

The Dodgers, looking to be the sport's first back-to-back title winners in almost 25 years, are expected to rely on Shohei Ohtani for a short outing.