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The championship series is going to a final Game 7 following the Los Angeles Dodgers kept alive their repeat dreams alive on Friday with a 3–1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 6.

The reigning title holders ended Toronto’s late-game comeback with a dramatic game-ending double play, stunning a Rogers Centre crowd that had come ready to cheer the city’s championship in 32 years.

Game 6 Summary

The Dodgers generated all of their scoring in the third inning. With two away, Ohtani was intentionally walked before Smith hit a two-bagger to left to score Tommy Edman. Freeman drew a walk to load the bases, and Betts came through with a two-RBI hit to left, handing the Dodgers a 3–0 advantage.

That key hit broke a postseason slump and rekindled the title holders' hopes of becoming the first repeat World Series victors since the Yankees captured three consecutive from 1998 through 2000.

Pitching Duel

Gausman had been nearly unhittable to that point, fanning half a dozen of the initial seven Dodgers he confronted. He struck out 8 through three frames, tying a Fall Classic record, but the third-frame rally proved costly. The Blue Jays' star finished with 8 Ks over six frames, yielding three runs on three hits and two free passes.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, meanwhile, was steady again under stress. The righty outpitched his counterpart for the second occasion in a seven days, allowing a single run on five base hits over six frames with six strikeouts. 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 doubled earlier in the inning. Springer’s hit provided a momentary lift in his return to the starting nine after sitting out two games with an oblique injury.

Relief Effort

From there, the Dodgers’ bullpen took over. Rookie Justin Wrobleski got out of a jam in the seventh inning, and fellow rookie Sasaki worked into the ninth before hitting Kirk to start the frame. Barger then hit a double that got stuck under the outfield wall, forcing runners to hold at second and third.

Glasnow, Los Angeles’ Game 3 starting pitcher, entered in a relief role and got a pop fly before Andrés Giménez lined to left field. Hernández caught the ball and fired to second to double off the runner, clinching the victory and earning Glasnow his first career successful save.

Looking Ahead: Game 7

The series now comes down to a single contest. Max Scherzer will take the mound for Toronto, becoming the sole active hurler to pitch in multiple World Series Game 7s after doing so in 2019 with the Nationals. The veteran inked a single-season contract to pursue another championship and has been a vocal leader throughout this playoff run.

The Los Angeles squad, aiming to be baseball’s initial repeat champions in almost 25 years, are projected to rely on their two-way star for a short outing.