The World Series is going to a decisive seventh game after the Los Angeles Dodgers kept their title defense hopes alive on Friday with a three to one victory over the Blue Jays in Game 6.
The defending champions halted Toronto’s ninth-inning rally with a dramatic final twin killing, stunning a home audience that had arrived prepared to cheer the team's first title in 32 years.
Game 6 Recap
The Dodgers produced all of their scoring in the third frame. With two away, Shohei Ohtani was intentionally walked before Smith hit a two-bagger to left field to bring home Edman. Freeman drew a walk to load the bases, and Mookie Betts delivered with a two-run single to the opposite field, handing the Dodgers a 3–0 lead.
Betts’ hit snapped a playoff dry spell and revived the defending champions’ hopes of being the initial back-to-back World Series victors since the New York Yankees captured three consecutive from 1998 through 2000.
Pitching Battle
Gausman had been nearly unhittable to that stage, striking out six of the initial seven Dodgers he confronted. He struck out eight through three frames, matching a Fall Classic mark, but the third-inning barrage proved costly. The Blue Jays' star ended with 8 Ks over six innings, allowing three earned runs on three hits and two walks.
Yamamoto, meanwhile, was solid again under stress. The 27-year-old right-hander outdueled 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 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 inning, scoring Barger, who had doubled previously in the frame. Springer’s hit provided a brief spark in his comeback to the lineup after sitting out a pair of contests with an oblique injury.
Bullpen Effort
After that, the Dodgers’ bullpen took over. Rookie Justin Wrobleski escaped a tight spot in the seventh, and another rookie Sasaki worked into the ninth inning before plunking Alejandro Kirk to open the inning. Barger then hit a two-base hit that got stuck under the left-center-field fence, obliging base runners to hold at second and third base.
Tyler Glasnow, the Dodgers' third game starting pitcher, came on in relief and induced a popout before Andrés Giménez lined to left field. Hernández caught the ball and fired to second to double off Barger, sealing the win and giving the pitcher his first-ever successful save.
Looking Ahead: Seventh Game
The best-of-seven now boils down to a single contest. Scherzer will start for the Blue Jays, becoming the sole active hurler to pitch in more than one World Series Game 7s after doing so in the 2019 season with the Nationals. The 40-year-old inked a one-year deal to chase another championship and has been a outspoken presence throughout this postseason.
The Los Angeles squad, aiming to become the sport's first back-to-back champions in nearly a quarter-century, are projected to rely on Shohei Ohtani for a short outing.
