Los Angeles Dodgers Survive in Toronto to Set Up Winner-Take-All Game 7 in Fall Classic

The championship series is going to a decisive Game 7 following the Dodgers kept alive their repeat hopes alive Friday night with a 3–1 win over the Blue Jays in Game 6.

The defending champions ended Toronto’s ninth-inning rally with a thrilling final twin killing, stunning a Rogers Centre crowd that had come ready to celebrate the city’s championship in 32 years.

Sixth Game Recap

Los Angeles produced all of their offense in the third frame. With two away, Shohei Ohtani was purposely passed before Will Smith hit a two-bagger to left to score Tommy Edman. Freddie Freeman earned a base on balls to fill the bases, and Mookie Betts came through with a two-RBI hit to the opposite field, giving the Dodgers a 3–0 lead.

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

Pitching Battle

Gausman had been dominant to that stage, fanning half a dozen of the initial seven Dodgers he faced. He struck out 8 through three frames, tying a Fall Classic mark, but the third-frame rally proved decisive. The Blue Jays' star finished with 8 Ks over six innings, allowing three earned runs on three safeties and two walks.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, meanwhile, was steady again under pressure. The 27-year-old right-hander outdueled his counterpart for the second time in a seven days, giving up 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 lone score against him came on George Springer two-out base hit in the third inning, scoring Barger, who had doubled previously in the frame. Springer’s hit provided a brief spark in his return to the lineup after sitting out a pair of contests with an side strain.

Bullpen Effort

After that, the Los Angeles relievers carried the load. Rookie Wrobleski got out of a tight spot in the seventh, and fellow rookie Sasaki worked into the ninth before plunking Alejandro Kirk to start the inning. Barger then hit a double that became wedged under the left-center-field fence, forcing runners to stay at second and third base.

Tyler Glasnow, Los Angeles’ Game 3 starting pitcher, entered in a relief role and induced a pop fly before Andrés Giménez hit a line drive to left. Hernández made the catch and fired to second to double off Barger, sealing the victory and earning the pitcher his first career successful save.

Looking Ahead: Game 7

The series now boils down to a single contest. Scherzer will start for the Blue Jays, making him the only living pitcher to pitch in multiple World Series Game 7s after accomplishing that in the 2019 season with the Nationals. The 40-year-old signed a single-season contract to pursue one more title and has been a vocal leader throughout this postseason.

The Los Angeles squad, aiming to be the sport's first back-to-back title winners in nearly a quarter-century, are projected to rely on their two-way star for a short outing.