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

The defending champions ended Toronto’s ninth-inning rally with a dramatic game-ending twin killing, stunning a home crowd that had arrived prepared to cheer the city’s championship in 32 years.

Game 6 Summary

Los Angeles generated all of their scoring in the third inning. With two outs, Shohei Ohtani was purposely passed before Smith doubled to left to bring home Edman. Freddie Freeman drew a walk to fill the bases, and Betts delivered with a two-RBI hit to the opposite field, giving the Dodgers a 3–0 advantage.

That key hit broke a postseason slump and revived the title holders' aspirations of being the first repeat championship winners since the Yankees captured three straight from 1998 through 2000.

Mound Battle

Kevin Gausman had been nearly unhittable to that point, striking out six of the initial seven batters he confronted. He struck out 8 through three innings, tying a Fall Classic record, but the third-frame rally proved decisive. The Toronto ace finished with 8 Ks over six frames, yielding three earned runs on three hits and two free passes.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, meanwhile, was solid again under pressure. The righty outdueled his counterpart for the second time in a week, allowing one run on five base hits over six innings with six Ks. He improved to four wins and one loss this playoffs with a 1.56 ERA.

The lone score against him resulted from Springer’s two-out single in the third, scoring Addison Barger, who had hit a double earlier in the inning. That single offered a brief spark in his return to the lineup after sitting out a pair of contests with an side strain.

Bullpen Effort

From there, the Dodgers’ bullpen took over. Rookie Wrobleski escaped a jam in the seventh inning, and fellow rookie Rōki Sasaki pitched into the ninth before hitting Alejandro Kirk to start the inning. Barger followed with a two-base hit that became wedged under the outfield wall, obliging runners to hold at second and third base.

Tyler Glasnow, the Dodgers' Game 3 starter, entered in relief and got a popout before Andrés Giménez lined to left. Hernández caught the ball and threw to second base to retire Barger, clinching the victory and earning the pitcher his first-ever save.

Looking Ahead: Seventh Game

The best-of-seven 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 accomplishing that in 2019 with Washington. The veteran signed a single-season contract to pursue one more title and has been a outspoken presence throughout this postseason.

The Dodgers, aiming to be the sport's first back-to-back champions in nearly a quarter-century, are projected to lean on their two-way star for a brief appearance.