Los Angeles Dodgers Survive in Toronto to Set Up Decisive Game 7 in Fall Classic
This year's World Series is headed to a final seventh game following the Los Angeles Dodgers kept alive their title defense hopes intact Friday night with a three to one win over the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 6.
The reigning title holders halted Toronto’s late-game comeback with a thrilling final double play, stunning a home audience that had arrived prepared to cheer the city’s championship in over three decades.
Sixth Game Recap
Los Angeles produced all of their offense in the third frame. With two outs, Ohtani was purposely passed before Will Smith doubled to left field to bring home Edman. Freeman drew a walk to load the bases, and Betts delivered with a two-RBI hit to the opposite field, handing the Dodgers a 3–0 lead.
That key hit snapped a playoff dry spell and revived the title holders' aspirations of becoming the first repeat championship victors since the Yankees won three straight 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, yielding three runs on three safeties and two walks.
Yamamoto, in contrast, was steady again under pressure. The righty outdueled his counterpart for the second time in a seven days, allowing a single run on five hits over six frames with six Ks. He boosted his record to four wins and one loss this playoffs with a 1.56 ERA.
The lone score against him resulted from George Springer two-out single in the third, scoring Barger, who had hit a double previously in the frame. That single offered a momentary lift in his comeback to the lineup after sitting out a pair of contests with an oblique injury.
Bullpen Effort
From there, the Los Angeles relievers carried the load. Rookie Wrobleski escaped a tight spot in the seventh, and another rookie Rōki Sasaki worked into the ninth before hitting Alejandro Kirk to start the frame. Addison Barger then hit a two-base hit that became wedged under the left-center-field fence, forcing base runners to stay at second and third base.
Tyler Glasnow, Los Angeles’ Game 3 starting pitcher, entered in relief and got a popout before Giménez hit a line drive to left. Enrique Hernández caught the ball and threw to second base to retire the runner, clinching the win and giving the pitcher his first career successful save.
Next Up: Seventh Game
The best-of-seven now comes down to a single contest. Max Scherzer will take the mound for Toronto, making him the sole active hurler to pitch in more than one seventh games of the World Series after accomplishing that in 2019 with Washington. The veteran signed a one-year deal to pursue another championship and has been a outspoken presence throughout this postseason.
The Dodgers, aiming to be baseball’s initial repeat champions in nearly a quarter-century, are expected to rely on their two-way star for a short outing.