Los Angeles Dodgers Survive in Canada to Force Decisive Game 7 in Fall Classic
This year's championship series is headed to a decisive seventh game following the Los Angeles Dodgers kept their repeat hopes alive Friday night with a three to one victory over the Blue Jays in Game 6.
The reigning title holders halted Toronto’s ninth-inning rally with a thrilling final double play, silencing a Rogers Centre audience that had arrived prepared to cheer the city’s championship in over three decades.
Game 6 Recap
Los Angeles produced all of their offense in the third inning. With two away, Shohei Ohtani was intentionally walked before Will Smith hit a two-bagger to left to score Edman. Freddie Freeman drew a walk to fill the bases, and Betts came through with a two-run single to the opposite field, handing the Dodgers a three-run lead.
That key hit snapped a postseason slump and revived the title holders' hopes of becoming the initial back-to-back World Series victors since the New York Yankees won three straight from 1998 to 2000.
Pitching Duel
Gausman had been nearly unhittable to that stage, fanning six of the first seven batters he confronted. He struck out eight through three frames, matching a World Series record, but the third-inning barrage proved decisive. The Blue Jays' star finished with 8 Ks over six innings, yielding three earned runs on three hits and two walks.
Yamamoto, meanwhile, was solid again under stress. The 27-year-old right-hander outdueled Gausman for the second time in a seven days, 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 only run against him came on Springer’s two-out single in the third inning, scoring Addison Barger, who had doubled previously in the frame. That single offered a brief spark in his comeback to the lineup after missing two games with an oblique injury.
Relief Heroics
After that, the Los Angeles relievers took over. Rookie Justin Wrobleski got out of a jam in the seventh, and another rookie Rōki Sasaki pitched into the ninth before plunking Alejandro Kirk to start the inning. Addison Barger then hit a double that became wedged under the left-center-field fence, forcing runners to stay at second and third base.
Tyler Glasnow, the Dodgers' third game starting pitcher, came on in relief and induced a pop fly before Giménez lined to left. Enrique Hernández caught the ball and fired to second to double off Barger, clinching the victory and earning Glasnow his first career successful save.
Next Up: Game 7
The series now boils down to a single contest. Max Scherzer will start for Toronto, becoming the sole active hurler to start more than one World Series Game 7s after doing so in 2019 with the Nationals. The 40-year-old signed a single-season contract to chase another championship and has been a outspoken presence throughout this postseason.
The Dodgers, looking to become the sport's first back-to-back champions in almost 25 years, are projected to lean on their two-way star for a brief appearance.