LA Dodgers Survive in Canada to Force Decisive Game 7 in World Series
This year's championship series is going to a final seventh game following the Dodgers kept alive their repeat dreams intact on Friday with a 3–1 win over the Blue Jays in Game 6.
The reigning title holders ended Toronto’s ninth-inning rally with a thrilling final double play, stunning a Rogers Centre audience that had come ready to celebrate the city’s first title in 32 years.
Sixth Game Summary
Los Angeles produced all of their scoring in the third inning. With two away, Shohei Ohtani was purposely passed before Will Smith hit a two-bagger to left to score Edman. Freeman drew a walk to load the bases, and Betts came through with a two-run single to left, giving the Dodgers a 3–0 lead.
That key hit snapped a playoff dry spell and revived the defending champions’ aspirations of becoming the first repeat World Series victors since the New York Yankees captured three consecutive from 1998 to 2000.
Mound Duel
Kevin Gausman had been dominant to that point, striking out half a dozen of the first seven batters he confronted. He fanned eight through three frames, matching a World Series mark, but the third-inning barrage proved costly. The Toronto ace finished with 8 Ks over six innings, allowing three earned runs on three hits and two walks.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, in contrast, was steady again under pressure. The 27-year-old right-hander outdueled Gausman for the second time in a seven days, giving up one run on five base hits over six frames with six Ks. He boosted his record to 4–1 this postseason with a 1.56 ERA.
The lone score against him resulted from Springer’s two-out base hit in the third inning, scoring Addison Barger, who had doubled earlier in the inning. Springer’s hit provided a brief spark in his return to the lineup after missing two games with an side strain.
Bullpen Heroics
From there, the Los Angeles relievers took over. First-year pitcher Justin Wrobleski got out of a tight spot in the seventh, and fellow rookie Rōki Sasaki pitched into the ninth before hitting Alejandro Kirk to start the inning. Barger then hit a double that got stuck under the left-center-field fence, obliging runners to hold at second and third base.
Glasnow, the Dodgers' Game 3 starter, came on in relief and got a popout before Giménez lined to left. Hernández made the catch and threw to second to retire the runner, clinching the win and giving Glasnow his first career save.
Looking Ahead: Seventh Game
The series now boils down to a single contest. Max Scherzer will take the mound for the Blue Jays, becoming the only living pitcher to start multiple World Series Game 7s after accomplishing that in the 2019 season with the Nationals. The veteran inked a one-year deal to chase one more title and has been a vocal leader throughout this postseason.
The Los Angeles squad, aiming to be baseball’s first back-to-back champions in almost 25 years, are expected to rely on their two-way star for a brief appearance.