LA Dodgers Hold On in Canada to Set Up Decisive Game 7 in World Series

This year's World Series is going to a final Game 7 after the Los Angeles Dodgers kept alive their title defense dreams alive on Friday with a three to one victory over the Blue Jays in Game 6.

The defending champions ended Toronto’s late-game comeback with a thrilling game-ending twin killing, silencing a Rogers Centre audience that had arrived prepared to cheer the team's championship in 32 years.

Game 6 Summary

The Dodgers generated all of their scoring in the third inning. With two away, Shohei Ohtani was purposely passed before Smith doubled to left to score Edman. Freeman drew a walk to load the bases, and Betts delivered with a two-RBI hit to left, giving the Dodgers a three-run lead.

Betts’ hit broke a postseason slump and revived the defending champions’ hopes of being the first repeat World Series winners since the New York Yankees captured three straight from 1998 through 2000.

Pitching Battle

Kevin Gausman had been nearly unhittable to that stage, striking out half a dozen of the initial seven batters he confronted. He struck out 8 through three innings, tying a World Series mark, but the third-inning barrage proved costly. The Toronto ace finished with 8 Ks over six frames, allowing three earned runs on three hits and two walks.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, in contrast, was steady again under pressure. The 27-year-old right-hander outpitched Gausman for the second occasion in a seven days, giving up a single run on five hits over six innings with six Ks. He boosted his record to 4–1 this postseason with a 1.56 ERA.

The lone score against him resulted from George Springer two-out single in the third, driving in Addison Barger, who had doubled earlier in the inning. Springer’s hit offered a momentary lift in his comeback to the lineup after missing a pair of contests with an side strain.

Bullpen Heroics

From there, the Dodgers’ bullpen carried the load. Rookie Justin Wrobleski got out of a tight spot in the seventh inning, and fellow rookie Rōki Sasaki pitched into the ninth inning before plunking Kirk to start the frame. Addison Barger followed with a double that became wedged under the outfield wall, forcing runners to hold at second and third.

Glasnow, the Dodgers' third game starting pitcher, came on in a relief role and got a popout before Giménez lined to left field. Hernández caught the ball and threw to second base to double off Barger, clinching the victory and earning the pitcher his first-ever successful save.

Next Up: Seventh Game

The series now comes down to one game. Scherzer will take the mound for Toronto, becoming the sole active hurler to start multiple seventh games of the World Series after doing so in 2019 with the Nationals. The 40-year-old signed a single-season contract to pursue one more title and has been a vocal leader throughout this playoff run.

The Dodgers, looking to become the sport's first back-to-back title winners in almost 25 years, are expected to rely on Shohei Ohtani for a short outing.