LA Dodgers Survive in Toronto to Set Up Winner-Take-All Game 7 in World Series

The championship series is headed to a decisive seventh game following the Dodgers kept their repeat hopes intact on Friday with a three to one victory over the Blue Jays in Game 6.

The reigning title holders halted Toronto’s late-game comeback with a dramatic game-ending twin killing, stunning a Rogers Centre audience that had come ready to cheer the team's championship in 32 years.

Game 6 Summary

Los Angeles produced all of their offense in the third frame. With two away, Shohei Ohtani was purposely passed before Smith doubled to left to bring home Tommy Edman. Freeman earned a base on balls to load the bases, and Betts delivered with a two-run single to the opposite field, handing the Dodgers a three-run lead.

That key hit snapped a playoff dry spell and revived the title holders' hopes of being the first repeat championship winners since the Yankees won three straight from 1998 to 2000.

Pitching Duel

Kevin Gausman had been nearly unhittable to that point, striking out six of the initial seven Dodgers he faced. He struck out eight through three innings, tying a Fall Classic mark, but the third-frame rally proved costly. The Blue Jays' star finished with 8 Ks over six frames, yielding three runs on three safeties and two free passes.

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, allowing a single run on five base hits over six innings with six Ks. He improved to 4–1 this postseason with a 1.56 ERA.

The lone score against him resulted from George Springer two-out base hit in the third, driving in Addison Barger, who had doubled earlier in the inning. Springer’s hit provided a brief spark in his comeback to the starting nine after sitting out two games with an oblique injury.

Relief Effort

After that, the Los Angeles relievers took over. First-year pitcher Wrobleski got out of a tight spot in the seventh, and fellow rookie Rōki Sasaki worked into the ninth before hitting Alejandro Kirk to open the inning. Barger then hit a two-base hit that became wedged under the outfield wall, forcing runners to hold at second and third.

Tyler Glasnow, Los Angeles’ Game 3 starter, came on in relief and induced a pop fly before Giménez lined to left. Enrique Hernández made the catch and threw to second base to double off Barger, clinching the victory and earning the pitcher his first-ever successful save.

Looking Ahead: Seventh Game

The series now boils down to one game. Max Scherzer will start for the Blue Jays, making him the only living pitcher to pitch in multiple World Series Game 7s after accomplishing that in 2019 with Washington. The veteran signed a one-year deal to pursue another championship and has been a vocal leader throughout this playoff run.

The Dodgers, aiming to become baseball’s first back-to-back champions in nearly a quarter-century, are expected to lean on Shohei Ohtani for a brief appearance.

Jason Myers
Jason Myers

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