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This year's World Series is going to a final Game 7 after the Los Angeles Dodgers kept their title defense dreams alive Friday night with a 3–1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 6.

The reigning title holders halted Toronto’s late-game comeback with a dramatic game-ending twin killing, silencing a home audience that had arrived prepared to cheer the city’s first title in 32 years.

Game 6 Summary

Los Angeles produced all of their scoring in the third inning. With two away, Ohtani was intentionally walked before Will Smith hit a two-bagger to left field to score Tommy Edman. Freddie Freeman drew a walk to load the bases, and Betts came through with a two-run single to the opposite field, handing the Dodgers a 3–0 advantage.

That key hit broke a playoff dry spell and rekindled the title holders' hopes of becoming the first repeat World Series victors since the Yankees won three straight from 1998 to 2000.

Pitching Battle

Gausman had been nearly unhittable to that point, fanning half a dozen of the first seven Dodgers he faced. He fanned eight through three innings, tying a Fall Classic mark, but the third-frame rally proved costly. The Toronto ace ended with eight strikeouts over six innings, yielding three earned runs on three hits and two walks.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, meanwhile, was steady again under stress. The righty outpitched his counterpart for the second time in a week, giving up one run on five hits over six frames with six strikeouts. He boosted his record to 4–1 this playoffs with a 1.56 ERA.

The lone score against him came on George Springer two-out base hit in the third inning, driving in Addison Barger, who had hit a double previously in the frame. That single offered a brief spark in his return to the starting nine after sitting out two games with an oblique injury.

Relief Effort

After that, the Los Angeles relievers carried the load. First-year pitcher Wrobleski got out of a tight spot in the seventh inning, and fellow rookie Rōki Sasaki worked into the ninth inning before plunking Kirk to open the frame. Barger then hit a double that got stuck under the left-center-field fence, forcing runners to stay at second and third.

Glasnow, the Dodgers' Game 3 starting pitcher, came on in relief and induced a pop fly before Giménez lined to left field. Hernández caught the ball and threw to second base to double off the runner, clinching the victory and earning the pitcher 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 multiple World Series Game 7s after accomplishing that in the 2019 season with Washington. The 40-year-old signed a single-season contract to chase another championship and has been a vocal leader throughout this playoff run.

The Los Angeles squad, 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.