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The World Series is going to a final seventh game after the Los Angeles Dodgers kept their title defense hopes alive on Friday with a 3–1 win over the Blue Jays in Game 6.

The defending champions ended Toronto’s ninth-inning rally with a dramatic final twin killing, silencing a home crowd that had arrived prepared to celebrate the team's championship in over three decades.

Game 6 Recap

The Dodgers generated all of their scoring in the third frame. With two outs, Ohtani was purposely passed before Will Smith hit a two-bagger to left to score Tommy Edman. Freeman drew a walk to fill the bases, and Betts delivered with a two-RBI hit to the opposite field, handing the Dodgers a 3–0 advantage.

That key hit snapped a postseason slump and revived the title holders' aspirations of being the initial back-to-back World Series winners since the New York Yankees captured three consecutive from 1998 to 2000.

Mound Duel

Kevin Gausman had been dominant to that point, fanning six of the first seven batters he confronted. He fanned eight through three frames, matching a World Series record, but the third-frame rally proved costly. The Blue Jays' star ended with 8 Ks over six innings, allowing three earned runs on three safeties and two free passes.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, meanwhile, was steady again under stress. The righty outdueled Gausman for the second occasion in a week, allowing a single run on five base hits over six frames with six strikeouts. He boosted his record to four wins and one loss this playoffs with a 1.56 ERA.

The lone score against him resulted from George Springer two-out base hit in the third inning, scoring Addison Barger, who had hit a double previously in the frame. Springer’s hit offered a momentary lift in his return to the starting nine after missing a pair of contests with an side strain.

Bullpen Heroics

After that, the Los Angeles relievers carried the load. Rookie Justin Wrobleski got out of a tight spot in the seventh inning, and another rookie Rōki Sasaki worked into the ninth before plunking Kirk to open the frame. Barger then hit a double that became wedged under the outfield wall, forcing base runners to hold at second and third base.

Glasnow, the Dodgers' Game 3 starting pitcher, entered in a relief role and got a popout before Andrés Giménez lined to left. Enrique Hernández made the catch and fired to second to retire the runner, clinching the victory and earning the pitcher his first-ever successful save.

Looking Ahead: Seventh Game

The series now comes down to one game. Scherzer will take the mound for the Blue Jays, becoming the only living pitcher to start more than one World Series Game 7s after accomplishing that in 2019 with the Nationals. The veteran signed a one-year deal to pursue another championship and has been a outspoken presence throughout this playoff run.

The Los Angeles squad, aiming to be baseball’s initial repeat champions in almost 25 years, are projected to lean on their two-way star for a short outing.