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The championship series is headed to a decisive Game 7 after the Dodgers kept their repeat hopes alive on Friday with a 3–1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 6.

The defending champions halted Toronto’s late-game comeback with a thrilling final double play, stunning a home crowd that had come ready to cheer the team's championship in 32 years.

Game 6 Recap

The Dodgers generated all of their scoring in the third inning. With two away, Ohtani was purposely passed before Smith hit a two-bagger to left to bring home Tommy Edman. Freddie Freeman earned a base on balls to load the bases, and Betts came through with a two-run single to left, giving the Dodgers a three-run lead.

That key hit broke a postseason slump and rekindled the defending champions’ hopes of becoming the initial back-to-back World Series winners since the Yankees captured three straight from 1998 through 2000.

Mound Battle

Gausman had been nearly unhittable to that point, striking out half a dozen of the initial seven Dodgers he confronted. He fanned eight through three innings, matching a World Series record, but the third-inning barrage proved decisive. The Blue Jays' star ended with 8 Ks over six innings, allowing three earned runs on three safeties and two walks.

Yamamoto, in contrast, was steady again under pressure. The 27-year-old right-hander outdueled his counterpart for the second occasion in a seven days, giving up a single run on five base hits over six frames with six strikeouts. He improved to 4–1 this playoffs with a 1.56 ERA.

The lone score against him came on Springer’s two-out base hit in the third, scoring Addison Barger, who had hit a double previously in the frame. Springer’s hit provided a brief spark in his return to the starting nine after missing a pair of contests with an oblique injury.

Relief Effort

From there, the Dodgers’ bullpen took over. Rookie Justin Wrobleski got out of a jam in the seventh, and another rookie Sasaki worked into the ninth inning before hitting Kirk to open the inning. Barger then hit a double that became wedged under the left-center-field fence, forcing runners to hold at second and third base.

Glasnow, the Dodgers' Game 3 starter, entered in relief and induced a popout before Giménez hit a line drive to left field. Hernández caught the ball and fired to second base to double off Barger, clinching the victory and earning the pitcher his first-ever successful save.

Next Up: Seventh Game

The series now comes down to a single contest. Max Scherzer will start for the Blue Jays, making him the only living pitcher to pitch in more than one seventh games of the World Series after accomplishing that in 2019 with Washington. The 40-year-old inked a one-year deal to chase one more title and has been a outspoken presence throughout this playoff run.

The Dodgers, looking to be baseball’s initial repeat title winners in nearly a quarter-century, are expected to rely on Shohei Ohtani for a short outing.