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The championship series is headed to a decisive Game 7 after the Los Angeles Dodgers kept their title defense hopes 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 thrilling final twin killing, silencing a Rogers Centre audience that had come ready to celebrate the city’s championship in 32 years.

Sixth Game Recap

Los Angeles produced all of their scoring in the third inning. With two away, Ohtani was intentionally walked before Smith doubled to left field to bring home Tommy Edman. Freeman earned a base on balls to load the bases, and Mookie Betts delivered with a two-run single to the opposite field, handing the Dodgers a 3–0 advantage.

Betts’ hit broke a postseason slump and rekindled the defending champions’ aspirations of being the initial back-to-back championship winners since the Yankees captured three consecutive from 1998 through 2000.

Mound Battle

Gausman had been nearly unhittable to that stage, fanning half a dozen of the initial seven Dodgers he confronted. He fanned 8 through three innings, tying a Fall Classic mark, but the third-inning barrage proved costly. The Toronto ace ended with 8 Ks over six frames, allowing three runs on three safeties and two free passes.

Yamamoto, in contrast, was steady again under stress. The 27-year-old right-hander outpitched his counterpart for the second time in a week, allowing a single run on five hits over six innings with six strikeouts. He boosted his record 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 Barger, who had doubled previously in the frame. Springer’s hit offered a brief spark in his comeback to the starting nine after sitting out two games with an side strain.

Relief Effort

From there, the Los Angeles relievers took over. Rookie Justin Wrobleski escaped a tight spot in the seventh, and fellow rookie Rōki Sasaki worked into the ninth before hitting Kirk to start the frame. Addison Barger then hit a two-base hit that got stuck under the outfield wall, obliging runners to stay at second and third.

Glasnow, the Dodgers' third game starting pitcher, entered in a relief role and induced a popout before Andrés Giménez lined to left field. Hernández made the catch and fired to second to double off the runner, sealing the win and giving Glasnow his first career successful save.

Looking Ahead: Seventh Game

The best-of-seven now boils down to a single contest. Scherzer will start for the Blue Jays, making him the sole active hurler to start more than one seventh games of the World Series after accomplishing that in 2019 with the Nationals. The 40-year-old inked a one-year deal to pursue another championship and has been a outspoken presence throughout this postseason.

The Dodgers, aiming to be the sport's first back-to-back title winners in almost 25 years, are expected to lean on their two-way star for a short outing.