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The championship series is going to a final Game 7 following the Los Angeles Dodgers kept alive their title defense dreams intact Friday night with a 3–1 victory over the Blue Jays in Game 6.

The defending champions ended Toronto’s late-game comeback with a thrilling final double play, stunning a home crowd that had come ready to cheer the team's championship in over three decades.

Game 6 Summary

Los Angeles produced all of their offense in the third frame. With two away, Ohtani was intentionally walked before Will Smith doubled to left field to bring home Tommy Edman. Freddie Freeman drew a walk to fill the bases, and Mookie Betts delivered with a two-run single to left, handing the Dodgers a three-run lead.

That key hit broke a playoff dry spell and revived the defending champions’ aspirations of becoming the initial back-to-back World Series victors since the New York Yankees captured three straight from 1998 to 2000.

Mound Battle

Gausman had been nearly unhittable to that point, striking out half a dozen of the first seven batters he faced. He fanned eight through three innings, tying a Fall Classic mark, but the third-inning barrage proved costly. The Blue Jays' star ended with eight strikeouts over six innings, yielding three runs on three hits and two walks.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, in contrast, was solid again under stress. The 27-year-old right-hander outpitched his counterpart for the second occasion in a seven days, giving up one run on five base hits over six frames with six strikeouts. He improved to 4–1 this postseason with a 1.56 ERA.

The lone score against him came on Springer’s two-out single in the third, driving in Addison Barger, who had doubled earlier in the inning. Springer’s hit provided a momentary lift in his return to the starting nine after missing a pair of contests with an side strain.

Bullpen Effort

From there, the Los Angeles relievers took over. Rookie Justin Wrobleski got out of a jam in the seventh, and another rookie Sasaki worked into the ninth before hitting Alejandro Kirk to start the inning. Barger then hit a two-base hit that became wedged under the outfield wall, forcing runners to hold at second and third base.

Glasnow, Los Angeles’ Game 3 starter, came on in relief and got a popout before Andrés Giménez lined to left field. Enrique Hernández made the catch and fired to second to retire Barger, sealing the victory and earning Glasnow his first-ever successful save.

Looking Ahead: Game 7

The series now boils down to one game. Max Scherzer will take the mound for the Blue Jays, becoming the sole active hurler to pitch in multiple seventh games of the World Series after accomplishing that in the 2019 season with the Nationals. The 40-year-old signed a one-year deal to chase one more title and has been a outspoken presence throughout this playoff run.

The Dodgers, looking to become the sport's initial repeat champions in almost 25 years, are projected to rely on Shohei Ohtani for a short outing.