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This year's championship series is going to a final seventh game following the Dodgers kept alive their title defense hopes alive Friday night with a 3–1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 6.

The reigning title holders halted Toronto’s late-game comeback with a dramatic final twin killing, stunning a home audience that had come ready to celebrate the city’s championship in 32 years.

Game 6 Summary

The Dodgers produced all of their scoring in the third inning. With two away, Ohtani was purposely passed before Smith doubled to left to bring home Tommy Edman. Freeman drew a walk to fill the bases, and Mookie Betts delivered with a two-run single to the opposite field, handing the Dodgers a three-run advantage.

That key hit broke a postseason slump and rekindled the defending champions’ hopes of becoming the initial back-to-back World Series winners since the Yankees won three consecutive from 1998 through 2000.

Pitching Duel

Kevin Gausman had been dominant to that point, striking out half a dozen of the initial seven Dodgers he faced. He struck out eight through three innings, 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 safeties and two walks.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, in contrast, was steady again under pressure. The righty outdueled his counterpart for the second time in a seven days, giving up a single run on five hits over six frames with six strikeouts. He boosted his record to four wins and one loss this postseason with a 1.56 ERA.

The lone score against him resulted from Springer’s two-out base hit in the third inning, driving in Addison Barger, who had hit a double earlier in the inning. That single provided a momentary lift in his comeback to the lineup after sitting out two games with an oblique injury.

Bullpen Effort

After that, the Los Angeles relievers took over. Rookie Justin Wrobleski escaped a jam in the seventh, and fellow rookie Rōki Sasaki pitched into the ninth before hitting Kirk to start the inning. Addison Barger then hit a two-base hit that got stuck under the outfield wall, forcing runners to hold at second and third base.

Tyler Glasnow, Los Angeles’ third game starting pitcher, came on in a relief role and induced a popout before Giménez hit a line drive to left field. Enrique Hernández caught the ball and threw to second base to retire the runner, clinching the win and giving the pitcher his first career save.

Looking Ahead: Seventh Game

The best-of-seven now boils down to one game. Max Scherzer will start for Toronto, making him the only living pitcher to start multiple World Series Game 7s after doing so in the 2019 season with Washington. The veteran inked a one-year deal to pursue another championship and has been a vocal leader throughout this playoff run.

The Dodgers, looking to become the sport's initial repeat champions in almost 25 years, are projected to lean on their two-way star for a brief appearance.