Los Angeles Dodgers Survive in Canada to Force Decisive Game 7 in Fall Classic
The championship series is going to a decisive seventh game after the Dodgers kept their repeat hopes alive on Friday with a three to one victory over the Blue Jays in Game 6.
The defending champions ended Toronto’s ninth-inning rally with a dramatic game-ending double play, silencing a home crowd that had come ready to cheer the team's first title in 32 years.
Sixth Game Summary
Los Angeles produced all of their offense in the third frame. 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 Mookie Betts came through with a two-RBI hit to left, giving the Dodgers a 3–0 advantage.
Betts’ hit snapped a playoff dry spell and rekindled the title holders' aspirations of becoming the initial back-to-back World Series winners since the New York Yankees won three straight from 1998 through 2000.
Pitching Battle
Gausman had been dominant to that point, striking out half a dozen of the first seven Dodgers he faced. He struck out 8 through three frames, matching a World Series mark, but the third-frame rally proved costly. The Toronto ace ended with 8 Ks over six innings, allowing three earned runs on three safeties and two free passes.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, meanwhile, was steady again under pressure. The 27-year-old right-hander outdueled Gausman for the second occasion in a week, allowing one run on five base hits over six frames with six Ks. He boosted his record to 4–1 this playoffs with a 1.56 ERA.
The only run against him resulted from Springer’s two-out base hit in the third, scoring Addison Barger, who had hit a double earlier in the inning. That single provided a momentary lift in his comeback to the lineup after sitting out a pair of contests with an side strain.
Bullpen Heroics
From there, the Dodgers’ bullpen carried the load. Rookie Justin Wrobleski got out of a tight spot in the seventh inning, and fellow rookie Sasaki worked into the ninth inning before hitting Alejandro Kirk to open the frame. Addison Barger followed with a two-base hit that got stuck under the left-center-field fence, obliging base runners to stay at second and third base.
Tyler Glasnow, the Dodgers' Game 3 starter, entered in relief and got a popout before Giménez lined to left. Hernández made the catch and threw to second to double off the runner, clinching the win and giving Glasnow his first-ever successful save.
Looking Ahead: Seventh Game
The best-of-seven now boils down to a single contest. Max Scherzer will start for Toronto, making him the only living pitcher to start multiple World Series Game 7s after doing so in 2019 with Washington. The 40-year-old signed a one-year deal to pursue one more title and has been a vocal leader throughout this playoff run.
The Dodgers, aiming to be baseball’s first back-to-back champions in almost 25 years, are projected to lean on Shohei Ohtani for a short outing.