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This year's World Series is headed to a decisive Game 7 following the Dodgers kept their repeat dreams alive Friday night with a 3–1 victory over the Blue Jays in Game 6.

The reigning title holders halted Toronto’s late-game comeback with a dramatic final double play, silencing a home crowd that had come ready to celebrate the city’s championship in over three decades.

Game 6 Summary

Los Angeles produced all of their scoring in the third frame. With two away, Ohtani was purposely passed before Smith doubled to left to bring home Edman. Freeman earned a base on balls to fill the bases, and Mookie Betts came through with a two-RBI hit to the opposite field, handing the Dodgers a 3–0 lead.

Betts’ hit snapped a playoff dry spell and revived the defending champions’ aspirations of becoming the initial back-to-back championship victors since the New York Yankees won three consecutive from 1998 to 2000.

Mound Battle

Kevin Gausman had been dominant to that stage, fanning six of the first seven batters he confronted. 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 eight strikeouts over six innings, yielding three earned runs on three hits and two walks.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, meanwhile, was steady again under pressure. The 27-year-old right-hander outdueled Gausman for the second occasion in a seven days, giving up a single run on five hits over six innings with six strikeouts. He improved to four wins and one loss this postseason with a 1.56 ERA.

The lone score against him came on Springer’s two-out base hit in the third, driving in Barger, who had hit a double earlier in the inning. Springer’s hit offered a momentary lift in his comeback to the lineup after missing two games with an oblique injury.

Relief Heroics

From there, the Dodgers’ bullpen took over. Rookie Wrobleski escaped a tight spot in the seventh, and another rookie Rōki Sasaki pitched into the ninth before plunking Alejandro Kirk to start the inning. Barger followed with a double that got stuck under the left-center-field fence, forcing runners to stay at second and third.

Glasnow, Los Angeles’ third game starter, entered in a relief role and induced a popout before Andrés Giménez hit a line drive to left field. Enrique Hernández caught the ball and threw to second to retire 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 Toronto, making him the sole active hurler to start multiple seventh games of the World Series after accomplishing that in the 2019 season with the Nationals. The veteran signed a one-year deal to pursue another championship and has been a outspoken presence throughout this postseason.

The Los Angeles squad, looking to become the sport's first back-to-back title winners in almost 25 years, are projected to lean on their two-way star for a brief appearance.