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This year's championship series is headed to a final seventh game after the Dodgers kept their title defense hopes 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 game-ending twin killing, silencing a home audience that had come ready to cheer the city’s championship in 32 years.

Sixth Game Recap

The Dodgers generated all of their scoring in the third inning. With two away, Ohtani was intentionally walked before Smith hit a two-bagger to left field to score Edman. Freeman drew a walk to fill the bases, and Betts came through with a two-RBI hit to the opposite field, giving the Dodgers a 3–0 lead.

Betts’ hit broke a playoff dry spell and revived the defending champions’ aspirations of becoming the initial back-to-back championship victors since the Yankees captured three straight from 1998 to 2000.

Mound Battle

Kevin Gausman had been dominant to that point, fanning six of the first seven Dodgers he faced. He fanned 8 through three innings, tying a Fall Classic mark, but the third-inning barrage proved decisive. The Toronto ace finished with eight strikeouts over six frames, allowing three earned 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 time in a seven days, giving up a single run on five base hits over six frames with six strikeouts. He improved to four wins and one loss this postseason with a 1.56 ERA.

The only run against him came on George Springer two-out base hit in the third, scoring Barger, who had doubled previously in the frame. Springer’s hit provided a brief spark in his comeback to the lineup after sitting out a pair of contests with an oblique injury.

Bullpen Effort

After that, the Dodgers’ bullpen carried the load. First-year pitcher Justin Wrobleski got out of a tight spot in the seventh, and another rookie Rōki Sasaki worked into the ninth before plunking Alejandro Kirk to start the frame. Addison Barger then hit a double that became wedged under the left-center-field fence, obliging runners to stay at second and third.

Tyler Glasnow, Los Angeles’ third game starting pitcher, entered in relief and induced a popout before Giménez hit a line drive to left. Hernández caught the ball and threw to second to double off the runner, clinching the win and giving the pitcher his first career save.

Next Up: Game 7

The best-of-seven now comes down to one game. Max Scherzer will take the mound for Toronto, becoming the sole active hurler to pitch in multiple seventh games of the World Series after doing so in the 2019 season with Washington. The veteran inked a one-year deal to pursue one more title and has been a outspoken presence throughout this playoff run.

The Dodgers, aiming to become the sport's first back-to-back title winners in almost 25 years, are projected to rely on their two-way star for a short outing.