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This year's World Series is going to a final Game 7 following the Los Angeles Dodgers kept alive their title defense dreams alive on Friday with a 3–1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 6.

The defending champions ended Toronto’s late-game comeback with a thrilling game-ending double play, silencing a Rogers Centre crowd that had arrived prepared to cheer the team's championship in over three decades.

Game 6 Summary

The Dodgers produced all of their offense in the third frame. With two outs, Ohtani was purposely passed before Will Smith hit a two-bagger to left to score Tommy Edman. Freddie Freeman drew a walk to load the bases, and Betts delivered with a two-run single to the opposite field, giving the Dodgers a 3–0 advantage.

Betts’ hit snapped a playoff dry spell and revived the defending champions’ aspirations of being the first repeat World Series victors since the New York Yankees won three straight from 1998 through 2000.

Mound Duel

Gausman had been dominant to that point, fanning six of the initial seven Dodgers he confronted. He struck out eight through three innings, tying a World Series mark, but the third-inning barrage proved decisive. The Blue Jays' star ended with 8 Ks over six frames, allowing three earned runs on three safeties and two free passes.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, in contrast, was solid again under stress. The righty outdueled his counterpart for the second time in a week, allowing a single run on five base hits over six innings with six strikeouts. He improved 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, driving in Addison Barger, who had hit a double previously in the frame. That single offered a brief spark in his return to the starting nine after missing a pair of contests with an side strain.

Relief Effort

From there, the Los Angeles relievers carried the load. Rookie Wrobleski escaped a tight spot in the seventh, and another rookie Rōki Sasaki pitched into the ninth inning before plunking Alejandro Kirk to start the frame. Addison Barger followed with a two-base hit that got stuck under the outfield wall, obliging runners to stay at second and third.

Tyler Glasnow, the Dodgers' third game starting pitcher, entered in relief and got a popout before Andrés Giménez hit a line drive to left field. Enrique Hernández caught the ball and fired to second base to retire the runner, clinching the win and earning Glasnow his first career successful save.

Next Up: Game 7

The series now boils down to one game. Scherzer will take the mound for the Blue Jays, making him the sole active hurler to start more than one seventh games of the World Series after accomplishing that in the 2019 season with Washington. The 40-year-old inked a single-season contract to pursue one more title and has been a vocal leader throughout this playoff run.

The Los Angeles squad, looking to be baseball’s initial repeat title winners in almost 25 years, are expected to rely on their two-way star for a brief appearance.