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The championship series is headed to a decisive seventh game following the Dodgers kept their title defense dreams intact on Friday with a 3–1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 6.

The defending champions ended Toronto’s ninth-inning rally with a dramatic game-ending twin killing, silencing a Rogers Centre audience that had arrived prepared to cheer the city’s first title in 32 years.

Game 6 Summary

Los Angeles generated all of their scoring in the third frame. With two away, Ohtani was intentionally walked before Will Smith doubled to left field to score 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 3–0 lead.

Betts’ hit snapped a playoff dry spell and rekindled the defending champions’ hopes of becoming the first repeat championship victors since the New York Yankees won three consecutive from 1998 to 2000.

Pitching Battle

Kevin Gausman had been nearly unhittable to that stage, fanning half a dozen of the initial seven Dodgers he faced. He struck out eight through three innings, tying a Fall Classic mark, but the third-inning barrage proved decisive. The Blue Jays' star ended with eight strikeouts over six frames, allowing three runs on three hits and two walks.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, in contrast, was steady again under stress. The righty outdueled Gausman for the second time in a seven days, allowing one run on five base hits over six frames with six Ks. He improved to four wins and one loss this playoffs with a 1.56 ERA.

The only run against him resulted from Springer’s two-out single in the third, driving in Barger, who had hit a double earlier in the inning. Springer’s hit offered a brief spark in his return to the lineup after sitting out two games with an side strain.

Relief Effort

From there, the Dodgers’ bullpen carried the load. First-year pitcher Wrobleski escaped a jam in the seventh, and fellow rookie Sasaki pitched into the ninth before plunking Kirk to open the frame. Barger then hit a double that became wedged under the outfield wall, obliging runners to stay at second and third base.

Glasnow, Los Angeles’ third game starter, entered in relief and induced a popout before Giménez lined to left. Hernández made the catch and threw to second to retire the runner, sealing the victory and giving the pitcher his first career save.

Looking Ahead: Game 7

The series now comes down to a single contest. Scherzer will start for Toronto, making him the only living pitcher to start more than one World Series Game 7s after accomplishing that in 2019 with the Nationals. The 40-year-old inked a single-season contract to chase another championship and has been a vocal leader throughout this playoff run.

The Dodgers, aiming to be the sport's initial repeat title winners in almost 25 years, are projected to lean on Shohei Ohtani for a short outing.