Los Angeles Dodgers Hold On in Canada to Force Winner-Take-All Game 7 in Fall Classic

The World Series is going to a final Game 7 after the Dodgers kept alive their repeat hopes alive on Friday with a 3–1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 6.

The reigning title holders halted Toronto’s late-game comeback with a dramatic final double play, stunning a Rogers Centre crowd that had arrived prepared to cheer the team's first title in over three decades.

Sixth Game Summary

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

Betts’ hit snapped a postseason slump and revived the title holders' aspirations of becoming the first repeat World Series victors since the New York Yankees won three consecutive from 1998 through 2000.

Mound Duel

Gausman had been nearly unhittable to that point, striking out half a dozen of the initial seven Dodgers he confronted. He struck out 8 through three frames, tying a World Series record, but the third-inning barrage proved decisive. The Blue Jays' star ended with 8 Ks over six innings, yielding three earned runs on three hits and two free passes.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, meanwhile, was steady again under pressure. The 27-year-old right-hander outdueled Gausman for the second time in a week, giving up a single run on five base hits over six frames with six strikeouts. He boosted his record to four wins and one loss this playoffs with a 1.56 ERA.

The only run against him came on Springer’s two-out base hit in the third, scoring Addison Barger, who had doubled earlier in the inning. That single provided a brief spark in his return to the starting nine after sitting out two games with an oblique injury.

Relief Effort

From there, the Dodgers’ bullpen carried the load. First-year pitcher Justin Wrobleski got out of a tight spot in the seventh, and another rookie Sasaki pitched into the ninth inning before hitting Alejandro Kirk to open the inning. Barger followed with a double that got stuck under the left-center-field fence, obliging base runners to stay at second and third.

Glasnow, Los Angeles’ third game starting pitcher, entered in relief and induced a pop fly before Giménez lined to left. Enrique Hernández made the catch and threw to second base to retire Barger, sealing the victory and earning the pitcher his first-ever successful save.

Next Up: Game 7

The series now comes down to one game. Max Scherzer will start for Toronto, becoming the only living pitcher to pitch in more than one seventh games of the World Series after doing so in 2019 with the Nationals. The 40-year-old signed a single-season contract to chase one more title and has been a outspoken presence throughout this postseason.

The Los Angeles squad, aiming to be the sport's initial repeat champions in nearly a quarter-century, are projected to lean on their two-way star for a short outing.

Jeff Wright
Jeff Wright

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