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This year's championship series is headed to a decisive Game 7 following the Los Angeles Dodgers kept alive their repeat hopes intact on Friday with a 3–1 victory over the Blue Jays in Game 6.

The defending champions halted Toronto’s ninth-inning rally with a thrilling final twin killing, silencing a home audience that had come ready to cheer the city’s championship in 32 years.

Sixth Game Summary

Los Angeles produced all of their scoring 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 drew a walk to fill the bases, and Mookie Betts delivered with a two-run single to the opposite field, giving the Dodgers a 3–0 advantage.

Betts’ hit broke a playoff dry spell and revived the defending champions’ hopes of being the initial back-to-back World Series victors since the New York Yankees won three consecutive from 1998 to 2000.

Pitching Battle

Kevin Gausman had been dominant to that stage, fanning six of the initial seven batters he confronted. He fanned 8 through three frames, tying a World Series record, but the third-frame rally proved costly. The Blue Jays' star finished with eight strikeouts over six frames, allowing three runs on three hits and two free passes.

Yamamoto, meanwhile, was solid again under pressure. The righty outpitched Gausman for the second occasion in a week, allowing one run on five hits over six frames with six strikeouts. He improved to four wins and one loss this playoffs with a 1.56 ERA.

The lone score against him resulted from Springer’s two-out base hit in the third inning, scoring Barger, who had doubled earlier in the inning. Springer’s hit provided a brief spark in his comeback to the starting nine after missing a pair of contests with an side strain.

Relief Heroics

From there, the Dodgers’ bullpen took over. First-year pitcher Justin Wrobleski got out of a tight spot in the seventh inning, and another rookie Rōki Sasaki pitched into the ninth inning before plunking Alejandro Kirk to start the inning. Addison Barger followed with a two-base hit that became wedged under the outfield wall, forcing base runners to hold at second and third.

Tyler Glasnow, Los Angeles’ Game 3 starting pitcher, entered in relief and induced a pop fly before Giménez lined to left field. Hernández made the catch and threw to second base to retire the runner, sealing the win and giving the pitcher his first-ever successful save.

Looking Ahead: Seventh Game

The series now boils down to one game. Scherzer will start for the Blue Jays, becoming the only living pitcher to pitch in more than one seventh games of the World Series after accomplishing that in 2019 with Washington. The veteran inked a one-year deal to chase one more title and has been a outspoken presence throughout this playoff run.

The Los Angeles squad, looking to become the sport's first back-to-back title winners in almost 25 years, are projected to rely on Shohei Ohtani for a short outing.