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The World Series is headed to a final seventh game following the Dodgers kept alive their title defense dreams alive on Friday with a 3–1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 6.

The reigning title holders halted Toronto’s late-game comeback with a dramatic game-ending double play, silencing a Rogers Centre crowd that had come ready to cheer the city’s championship in 32 years.

Game 6 Recap

Los Angeles produced all of their offense in the third frame. With two outs, Shohei Ohtani was intentionally walked before Smith doubled to left to bring home Tommy Edman. Freeman earned a base on balls to fill the bases, and Mookie Betts came through with a two-RBI hit to the opposite field, giving the Dodgers a three-run advantage.

That key hit snapped a postseason slump and revived the title holders' aspirations of being the first repeat World Series winners since the Yankees won three straight from 1998 to 2000.

Pitching Duel

Kevin Gausman had been dominant to that point, striking out six of the initial seven batters he faced. He fanned 8 through three innings, matching a World Series record, but the third-inning barrage proved decisive. The Toronto ace ended with eight strikeouts over six innings, yielding three runs on three hits and two free passes.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, in contrast, was steady again under pressure. The righty outpitched his counterpart for the second occasion in a seven days, giving up one run on five hits over six frames with six Ks. He improved to four wins and one loss this playoffs with a 1.56 ERA.

The only run against him came on Springer’s two-out single in the third, driving in Addison Barger, who had doubled previously in the frame. That single offered a brief spark in his return to the starting nine after sitting out two games with an side strain.

Bullpen Effort

After that, the Los Angeles relievers carried the load. First-year pitcher Justin Wrobleski got out of a tight spot in the seventh inning, and fellow rookie Rōki Sasaki worked into the ninth inning before hitting Alejandro Kirk to start the inning. Barger followed with a two-base hit that got stuck under the left-center-field fence, obliging base runners to hold at second and third base.

Glasnow, Los Angeles’ Game 3 starting pitcher, came on in relief and got a pop fly before Andrés Giménez hit a line drive to left. Enrique Hernández made the catch and fired to second base to retire Barger, sealing the win and giving the pitcher his first-ever save.

Looking Ahead: Seventh Game

The series now boils down to a single contest. Scherzer will start for the Blue Jays, making him the sole active hurler to pitch in more than one World Series Game 7s after accomplishing that in 2019 with the Nationals. The veteran signed a single-season contract to pursue one more title and has been a vocal leader throughout this playoff run.

The Dodgers, aiming to become the sport's first back-to-back champions in almost 25 years, are expected to rely on Shohei Ohtani for a short outing.