LA Dodgers Survive in Canada to Set Up Winner-Take-All Game 7 in World Series
The championship series is headed to a final seventh game following the Dodgers kept alive their title defense dreams alive Friday night with a three to one victory over the Blue Jays in Game 6.
The reigning title holders ended Toronto’s late-game comeback with a dramatic final twin killing, silencing a home crowd that had arrived prepared to cheer the city’s first title in 32 years.
Sixth Game Summary
The Dodgers generated all of their scoring in the third frame. With two away, Ohtani was purposely passed before Will Smith hit a two-bagger to left field to score Edman. Freeman earned a base on balls to fill the bases, and Mookie Betts delivered with a two-RBI hit to the opposite field, handing the Dodgers a 3–0 advantage.
That key hit broke a postseason slump and rekindled the title holders' aspirations of becoming the first repeat World Series winners since the New York Yankees captured three straight from 1998 through 2000.
Pitching Battle
Kevin Gausman had been nearly unhittable to that point, striking out six of the first seven batters he faced. He struck out 8 through three innings, matching a World Series mark, but the third-frame rally proved decisive. The Toronto ace ended with 8 Ks over six innings, yielding three runs on three hits and two free passes.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, in contrast, was solid again under pressure. The righty outpitched Gausman for the second occasion in a seven days, allowing one run on five base hits over six innings with six Ks. He boosted his record to four wins and one loss this playoffs with a 1.56 ERA.
The only run against him resulted from George Springer two-out base hit in the third inning, scoring Addison Barger, who had hit a double earlier in the inning. Springer’s hit offered a momentary lift in his comeback to the starting nine after sitting out two games with an oblique injury.
Bullpen Effort
From there, the Los Angeles relievers carried the load. First-year pitcher Justin Wrobleski escaped a jam in the seventh, and another rookie Rōki Sasaki pitched into the ninth inning before plunking Alejandro Kirk to start the frame. Barger followed with a double that became wedged under the outfield wall, obliging base runners to hold at second and third base.
Glasnow, the Dodgers' third game starter, entered in a relief role and induced a popout before Giménez hit a line drive to left field. Enrique Hernández caught the ball and fired to second to double off the runner, sealing the win and earning Glasnow his first career successful save.
Looking Ahead: Game 7
The best-of-seven now comes down to a single contest. Scherzer will start for the Blue Jays, making him the only living pitcher to start more than one seventh games of the World Series after accomplishing that in 2019 with the Nationals. The veteran inked a single-season contract to pursue one more title and has been a vocal leader throughout this playoff run.
The Los Angeles squad, aiming to become the sport's initial repeat title winners in almost 25 years, are expected to rely on their two-way star for a short outing.