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The championship series is going to a decisive seventh game following the Los Angeles Dodgers kept alive their title defense hopes intact on Friday with a 3–1 win 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

The Dodgers generated all of their scoring in the third inning. With two away, Shohei Ohtani was intentionally walked before Will Smith hit a two-bagger to left to score 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 3–0 lead.

That key hit snapped a playoff dry spell and rekindled the title holders' hopes of becoming the first repeat championship winners since the Yankees won three consecutive from 1998 through 2000.

Mound Battle

Kevin Gausman had been dominant to that stage, striking out six of the first seven Dodgers he confronted. He struck out 8 through three frames, tying a Fall Classic mark, but the third-frame rally proved decisive. The Toronto ace ended with 8 Ks over six frames, yielding three earned runs on three hits and two walks.

Yamamoto, in contrast, was solid again under pressure. The righty outdueled his counterpart for the second occasion in a week, allowing a single run on five hits over six frames with six Ks. He boosted his record to four wins and one loss this postseason with a 1.56 ERA.

The only run against him came on Springer’s two-out base hit in the third inning, driving in Barger, who had hit a double previously in the frame. That single offered a momentary lift in his comeback to the lineup after missing a pair of contests with an oblique injury.

Bullpen Heroics

From there, the Dodgers’ bullpen took over. First-year pitcher Wrobleski got out of a jam in the seventh, and another rookie Rōki Sasaki pitched into the ninth inning before hitting Kirk to start the frame. Addison Barger then hit a two-base hit that got stuck under the outfield wall, obliging runners to stay at second and third.

Tyler Glasnow, Los Angeles’ third game starter, came on in relief and induced a popout before Andrés Giménez hit a line drive to left field. Enrique Hernández made the catch and threw to second base to retire Barger, sealing the victory and earning the pitcher his first career successful save.

Looking Ahead: Game 7

The series now comes down to a single contest. Scherzer will start for the Blue Jays, becoming the only living pitcher to pitch in more than one World Series Game 7s after doing so in 2019 with Washington. 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 nearly a quarter-century, are expected to lean on Shohei Ohtani for a brief appearance.