Los Angeles Dodgers Hold On in Toronto to Set Up Decisive Game 7 in World Series
The championship series is going to a final seventh game following the Los Angeles Dodgers kept their title defense dreams alive on Friday with a three to one win over the Blue Jays in Game 6.
The reigning title holders ended Toronto’s late-game comeback with a thrilling game-ending twin killing, silencing a home crowd that had arrived prepared to celebrate the team's championship in over three decades.
Sixth Game Recap
Los Angeles generated all of their scoring in the third inning. With two away, Ohtani was purposely passed before Will Smith hit a two-bagger to left field to bring home Tommy Edman. Freeman drew a walk to load the bases, and Betts delivered with a two-run single to the opposite field, giving the Dodgers a 3–0 lead.
Betts’ hit snapped a postseason slump and revived the defending champions’ hopes of becoming the initial back-to-back World Series victors since the Yankees captured three consecutive from 1998 through 2000.
Mound Battle
Kevin Gausman had been nearly unhittable to that stage, fanning half a dozen of the first seven Dodgers he faced. He struck out 8 through three frames, matching a Fall Classic record, but the third-frame rally proved costly. The Toronto ace ended with eight strikeouts over six innings, allowing three runs on three safeties and two walks.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, in contrast, was steady again under stress. The 27-year-old right-hander outdueled Gausman for the second time in a seven days, giving up one run on five base hits over six frames with six Ks. He improved to four wins and one loss this postseason with a 1.56 ERA.
The only run against him resulted from George Springer two-out single in the third inning, scoring Addison Barger, who had doubled earlier in the inning. That single offered a momentary lift in his comeback to the starting nine after sitting out a pair of contests with an oblique injury.
Bullpen Heroics
After that, the Dodgers’ bullpen carried the load. Rookie Wrobleski escaped a tight spot in the seventh inning, and another rookie Rōki Sasaki pitched into the ninth before plunking Alejandro Kirk to open the frame. Barger followed with a two-base hit that became wedged under the left-center-field fence, forcing base runners to hold at second and third.
Glasnow, Los Angeles’ third game starting pitcher, entered in relief and induced a popout before Andrés Giménez hit a line drive to left. Hernández caught the ball and threw to second base to double off the runner, sealing the win and giving Glasnow his first-ever successful save.
Next Up: Game 7
The series now comes down to one game. Max Scherzer will take the mound for Toronto, making him the sole active hurler to start more than one seventh games of the World Series after accomplishing that in 2019 with Washington. The 40-year-old inked a one-year deal 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 rely on Shohei Ohtani for a brief appearance.