🔗 Share this article

This year's championship series is going to a final seventh game following the Los Angeles Dodgers kept their title defense dreams intact Friday night 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 thrilling final twin killing, silencing a Rogers Centre audience that had arrived prepared to celebrate the team's first title in 32 years.

Game 6 Recap

Los Angeles produced all of their scoring in the third inning. With two away, Shohei Ohtani was purposely passed before Will Smith doubled to left field to score Tommy Edman. Freeman earned a base on balls to load the bases, and Mookie Betts delivered with a two-RBI hit to left, handing the Dodgers a three-run advantage.

That key hit broke a postseason slump and rekindled the title holders' hopes of being the initial back-to-back championship victors since the Yankees won three straight from 1998 to 2000.

Mound Battle

Kevin Gausman had been nearly unhittable to that stage, fanning six of the initial seven batters he faced. He fanned 8 through three frames, matching a Fall Classic record, but the third-inning barrage proved costly. The Blue Jays' star finished with eight strikeouts over six innings, allowing three runs on three safeties and two walks.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, meanwhile, was solid again under pressure. The righty outpitched Gausman for the second time in a week, allowing a single run on five base hits over six frames with six strikeouts. He boosted his record to four wins and one loss this playoffs with a 1.56 ERA.

The lone score against him resulted from Springer’s two-out single in the third, driving in Addison Barger, who had hit a double previously in the frame. Springer’s hit provided a brief spark in his comeback to the starting nine after sitting out two games with an side strain.

Relief Effort

After that, the Los Angeles relievers took over. Rookie Wrobleski escaped a jam in the seventh, and fellow rookie Sasaki pitched into the ninth before plunking Kirk to start the inning. Addison Barger followed with a two-base hit that got stuck under the outfield wall, forcing runners to stay at second and third.

Glasnow, the Dodgers' Game 3 starting pitcher, entered in relief and induced a popout before Giménez hit a line drive to left. Enrique Hernández made the catch and threw to second to retire the runner, clinching the victory and earning Glasnow his first career save.

Next Up: Seventh Game

The best-of-seven now comes down to a single contest. Max Scherzer will take the mound for Toronto, making him the only living pitcher to start multiple World Series Game 7s after accomplishing that in 2019 with Washington. The veteran inked a one-year deal to chase one more title and has been a vocal leader throughout this playoff run.

The Los Angeles squad, aiming to become baseball’s first back-to-back title winners in almost 25 years, are projected to lean on Shohei Ohtani for a short outing.