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The championship series is going to a decisive seventh game following the Los Angeles Dodgers kept their title defense hopes alive Friday night with a 3–1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 6.

The defending champions ended Toronto’s late-game comeback with a dramatic final twin killing, silencing a home crowd that had come ready to cheer the city’s first title in 32 years.

Game 6 Recap

Los Angeles produced all of their scoring in the third frame. With two outs, Shohei Ohtani was intentionally walked before Smith doubled to left field to bring home Edman. Freeman drew a walk to fill the bases, and Betts came through with a two-run single to the opposite field, handing the Dodgers a three-run lead.

Betts’ hit snapped a playoff dry spell and rekindled the title holders' hopes of becoming the initial back-to-back championship victors since the New York Yankees won three consecutive from 1998 to 2000.

Pitching Battle

Kevin Gausman had been dominant to that point, fanning six of the initial seven batters he confronted. He struck out 8 through three frames, tying a Fall Classic record, but the third-inning barrage proved decisive. The Toronto ace finished with eight strikeouts over six innings, yielding three earned runs on three hits and two walks.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, in contrast, was steady again under stress. The 27-year-old right-hander outdueled his counterpart for the second time in a week, allowing one run on five 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 lone score against him came on Springer’s two-out single in the third, driving in Barger, who had hit a double earlier in the inning. That single offered a momentary lift in his comeback to the starting nine after sitting out two games with an side strain.

Relief Heroics

From there, the Dodgers’ bullpen took over. Rookie Justin Wrobleski got out of a tight spot in the seventh, and fellow rookie Sasaki worked into the ninth inning before hitting Kirk to start the inning. Barger followed with a two-base hit that became wedged under the outfield wall, obliging base runners to hold at second and third base.

Glasnow, Los Angeles’ Game 3 starter, entered in a relief role and got a popout before Andrés Giménez hit a line drive to left field. Enrique Hernández made the catch and fired to second base to retire Barger, sealing the win and earning the pitcher his first-ever save.

Next Up: Seventh Game

The series now comes down to a single contest. Scherzer will start for Toronto, becoming the sole active hurler to pitch in multiple seventh games of the World Series after accomplishing that in 2019 with Washington. The veteran signed a single-season contract to chase another championship and has been a outspoken presence throughout this postseason.

The Los Angeles squad, looking to be the sport's first back-to-back title winners in almost 25 years, are projected to lean on their two-way star for a short outing.