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This year's championship series is going to a decisive seventh game after the Los Angeles Dodgers kept alive their repeat hopes intact Friday night with a 3–1 win over the Blue Jays in Game 6.

The defending champions halted Toronto’s ninth-inning rally with a thrilling game-ending twin killing, stunning a home audience that had come ready to celebrate the city’s first title in over three decades.

Game 6 Recap

Los Angeles produced all of their scoring in the third inning. With two away, Ohtani was purposely passed before Will Smith doubled to left to score Tommy Edman. Freeman earned a base on balls to fill the bases, and Betts delivered with a two-run single to the opposite field, giving the Dodgers a 3–0 advantage.

That key hit snapped a playoff dry spell and revived the title holders' aspirations of being the first repeat championship winners since the New York Yankees captured three consecutive from 1998 to 2000.

Pitching Duel

Kevin Gausman had been dominant to that stage, striking out half a dozen of the initial seven Dodgers he confronted. He fanned 8 through three frames, tying a Fall Classic record, but the third-inning barrage proved decisive. The Toronto ace finished with eight strikeouts over six innings, yielding three earned runs on three safeties and two free passes.

Yamamoto, in contrast, was steady again under pressure. The righty outdueled his counterpart for the second time in a week, allowing one run on five base hits over six innings with six strikeouts. He boosted his record 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 inning, driving in Barger, who had hit a double earlier in the inning. Springer’s hit provided a brief spark in his return to the starting nine after missing a pair of contests with an oblique injury.

Bullpen Effort

From there, the Los Angeles relievers carried the load. First-year pitcher Wrobleski escaped a jam in the seventh, and another rookie Rōki Sasaki worked into the ninth before hitting Kirk to start the inning. Addison Barger then hit a double that became wedged under the outfield wall, forcing base runners to stay at second and third.

Tyler Glasnow, Los Angeles’ third game starter, came on in relief and got a pop fly before Giménez lined to left field. Enrique Hernández caught the ball and threw to second to retire Barger, clinching the victory and earning the pitcher his first career successful save.

Looking Ahead: Seventh Game

The series now comes down to one game. Scherzer will take the mound for Toronto, becoming the sole active hurler to pitch in multiple World Series Game 7s after doing so in 2019 with Washington. The veteran signed a one-year deal to pursue another championship and has been a outspoken presence throughout this playoff run.

The Los Angeles squad, looking to become baseball’s first back-to-back champions in nearly a quarter-century, are expected to rely on Shohei Ohtani for a short outing.