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The championship series is going to a decisive Game 7 following the Los Angeles Dodgers kept their title defense hopes intact Friday night 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 home crowd that had come ready to cheer the team's first title in over three decades.

Game 6 Summary

The Dodgers generated all of their scoring in the third frame. With two away, Ohtani was purposely passed before Smith hit a two-bagger to left to score Tommy Edman. Freddie Freeman earned a base on balls to load the bases, and Betts came through with a two-RBI hit to left, giving the Dodgers a 3–0 advantage.

Betts’ hit snapped a postseason slump and rekindled the title holders' hopes of being the initial back-to-back championship winners since the Yankees won three consecutive from 1998 to 2000.

Pitching Battle

Kevin Gausman had been dominant to that point, fanning six of the first seven batters he faced. He struck out eight through three innings, matching a World Series mark, but the third-inning barrage proved costly. 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 stress. The righty outpitched his counterpart for the second occasion in a seven days, giving up a single run on five hits over six frames with six strikeouts. He boosted his record to four wins and one loss this postseason with a 1.56 ERA.

The only run against him resulted from Springer’s two-out base hit in the third, driving in Addison Barger, who had hit a double previously in the frame. That single offered a momentary lift in his return to the starting nine after sitting out two games with an side strain.

Bullpen Effort

After that, the Dodgers’ bullpen carried the load. Rookie Justin Wrobleski escaped a tight spot in the seventh inning, and another rookie Sasaki worked into the ninth before hitting Kirk to start the inning. Addison Barger then hit a double that got stuck under the outfield wall, obliging runners to hold at second and third base.

Glasnow, the Dodgers' Game 3 starter, came on in relief and got a popout before Andrés Giménez hit a line drive to left field. Hernández caught the ball and fired to second to double off Barger, sealing the win and earning Glasnow his first career successful save.

Looking Ahead: Game 7

The series now comes 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 accomplishing that in 2019 with the Nationals. The veteran inked a one-year deal to chase one more title and has been a outspoken presence throughout this postseason.

The Dodgers, aiming to be baseball’s initial repeat champions in almost 25 years, are expected to rely on Shohei Ohtani for a short outing.