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The World Series is headed to a decisive seventh game after the Dodgers kept alive their title defense hopes intact on Friday with a 3–1 victory over the Blue Jays in Game 6.

The reigning title holders halted Toronto’s ninth-inning rally with a dramatic final double play, stunning a home crowd that had arrived prepared to celebrate the city’s first title in over three decades.

Game 6 Summary

Los Angeles produced all of their scoring in the third inning. With two away, Shohei Ohtani was purposely passed before Smith doubled to left to bring home Tommy Edman. Freddie Freeman drew a walk to load the bases, and Mookie Betts delivered with a two-run single to the opposite field, handing the Dodgers a three-run lead.

Betts’ hit snapped a playoff dry spell and revived the defending champions’ hopes 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 half a dozen of the initial seven Dodgers he faced. He fanned eight through three innings, matching a World Series mark, but the third-frame rally proved costly. The Blue Jays' star ended with 8 Ks over six frames, yielding three earned runs on three hits and two free passes.

Yamamoto, in contrast, was solid again under stress. The righty outdueled Gausman for the second time in a seven days, giving up a single run on five base hits over six innings with six Ks. He boosted his record to 4–1 this playoffs with a 1.56 ERA.

The lone score against him came on Springer’s two-out base hit in the third, driving in Addison Barger, who had hit a double previously in the frame. Springer’s hit provided a momentary lift in his return to the lineup after missing a pair of contests with an oblique injury.

Relief Effort

After that, the Dodgers’ bullpen carried the load. First-year pitcher Justin Wrobleski got out of a jam in the seventh, and fellow rookie Rōki Sasaki worked into the ninth before plunking Alejandro Kirk to open the frame. Addison Barger then hit a two-base hit that became wedged under the left-center-field fence, forcing runners to stay at second and third base.

Glasnow, Los Angeles’ third game starter, came on in a relief role and got a popout before Giménez lined to left. Hernández caught the ball and fired to second base to retire Barger, sealing the win and earning Glasnow his first-ever successful save.

Looking Ahead: Seventh Game

The series now comes down to a single contest. Scherzer will start for the Blue Jays, making him the only living pitcher to start multiple World Series Game 7s after doing so in 2019 with the Nationals. The 40-year-old signed a one-year deal to chase one more title and has been a outspoken presence throughout this playoff run.

The Los Angeles squad, aiming to become baseball’s first back-to-back title winners in almost 25 years, are expected to lean on Shohei Ohtani for a short outing.