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The championship series is going to a final seventh game following the Los Angeles 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 ended Toronto’s late-game comeback with a dramatic final double play, silencing a Rogers Centre crowd that had come ready to cheer the team's first title in 32 years.

Sixth Game Summary

Los Angeles generated all of their scoring in the third inning. With two away, Shohei Ohtani was intentionally walked before Will Smith doubled to left to bring home Tommy Edman. Freddie Freeman drew a walk to fill the bases, and Mookie Betts came through with a two-run single to the opposite field, giving the Dodgers a three-run lead.

Betts’ hit snapped a playoff dry spell and rekindled the title holders' aspirations of being the first repeat World Series winners since the Yankees captured three consecutive from 1998 to 2000.

Mound Duel

Kevin Gausman had been nearly unhittable to that point, striking out half a dozen of the initial seven batters he confronted. He fanned eight through three innings, tying a Fall Classic record, but the third-inning barrage proved costly. The Blue Jays' star ended with 8 Ks over six innings, yielding three runs on three safeties and two free passes.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, in contrast, was steady again under pressure. The righty outdueled Gausman for the second occasion in a seven days, giving up a single run on five base hits over six innings with six Ks. He improved to four wins and one loss this postseason with a 1.56 ERA.

The only run against him came on Springer’s two-out single in the third, driving in Barger, who had hit a double earlier in the inning. That single provided a momentary lift in his return to the lineup after sitting out two games with an oblique injury.

Bullpen Effort

From there, the Los Angeles relievers took over. First-year pitcher Justin Wrobleski got out of a tight spot in the seventh, and fellow rookie Sasaki pitched into the ninth inning before plunking Kirk to start the frame. Barger followed with a double that became wedged under the left-center-field fence, forcing runners to hold at second and third base.

Glasnow, Los Angeles’ third game starting pitcher, entered in relief and induced a popout before Andrés Giménez hit a line drive to left field. Enrique Hernández made the catch and fired to second to double off the runner, sealing the victory and giving Glasnow his first career save.

Looking Ahead: Seventh Game

The series now comes down to one game. Max Scherzer will start for the Blue Jays, making him the only living pitcher to pitch in more than one World Series Game 7s after accomplishing that in 2019 with Washington. The 40-year-old signed a one-year deal to pursue one more title and has been a outspoken presence throughout this playoff run.

The Los Angeles squad, looking to be the sport's initial repeat champions in almost 25 years, are expected to rely on Shohei Ohtani for a short outing.