Los Angeles Dodgers Hold On in Canada to Force Winner-Take-All Game 7 in World Series

This year's World Series is headed to a final seventh game after the Dodgers kept alive their repeat dreams 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 dramatic game-ending twin killing, stunning a Rogers Centre audience that had come ready to cheer the team's championship in over three decades.

Game 6 Recap

The Dodgers produced all of their offense in the third inning. With two outs, Ohtani was purposely passed before Smith doubled to left field to bring home Tommy Edman. Freeman drew a walk to fill the bases, and Betts delivered with a two-run single to left, giving the Dodgers a 3–0 advantage.

That key hit broke a postseason slump and revived the title holders' hopes of becoming the first repeat World Series winners since the New York Yankees won three consecutive from 1998 to 2000.

Pitching Duel

Kevin Gausman had been nearly unhittable to that point, striking out half a dozen of the first seven batters he faced. He struck out 8 through three frames, matching a Fall Classic record, but the third-inning barrage proved decisive. The Toronto ace ended with eight strikeouts over six frames, allowing three runs on three safeties and two walks.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, in contrast, was solid again under stress. The 27-year-old right-hander outpitched Gausman for the second time in a seven days, allowing one run on five base hits over six frames with six strikeouts. He boosted his record to 4–1 this postseason with a 1.56 ERA.

The only run against him resulted from Springer’s two-out single in the third inning, scoring Barger, who had hit a double previously in the frame. Springer’s hit offered a brief spark in his return to the starting nine after missing a pair of contests with an oblique injury.

Bullpen Effort

From there, the Dodgers’ bullpen took over. Rookie Wrobleski got out of a tight spot 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 double that got stuck under the outfield wall, forcing base runners to hold at second and third.

Glasnow, Los Angeles’ Game 3 starter, came on in relief and induced a popout before Andrés Giménez lined to left field. Enrique Hernández caught the ball and threw to second base to double off Barger, sealing the win and earning the pitcher his first-ever successful save.

Next Up: Seventh Game

The best-of-seven now boils down to one game. Scherzer will start for the Blue Jays, becoming the sole active hurler to pitch in more than one seventh games of the World Series after doing so in the 2019 season with Washington. The 40-year-old signed a one-year deal to pursue another championship and has been a outspoken presence throughout this playoff run.

The Dodgers, looking to become the sport's initial repeat champions in nearly a quarter-century, are projected to rely on Shohei Ohtani for a short outing.