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This year's championship series is headed to a decisive Game 7 following the Dodgers kept their title defense dreams intact Friday night with a three to one victory over the Blue Jays in Game 6.

The defending champions halted Toronto’s late-game comeback with a dramatic game-ending twin killing, silencing a Rogers Centre audience that had come ready to cheer the city’s first title in over three decades.

Game 6 Summary

Los Angeles generated all of their scoring in the third frame. With two outs, Ohtani was intentionally walked before Smith doubled to left field 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.

Betts’ hit broke a playoff dry spell and revived the defending champions’ hopes of being the initial back-to-back World Series winners since the Yankees won three consecutive from 1998 through 2000.

Pitching Battle

Kevin Gausman had been dominant to that stage, fanning six of the initial seven Dodgers he confronted. He struck out 8 through three frames, matching a Fall Classic record, but the third-frame rally proved costly. The Blue Jays' star finished with 8 Ks over six innings, allowing three runs on three hits and two walks.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, meanwhile, was solid again under stress. The righty outdueled Gausman for the second occasion in a seven days, allowing a single run on five hits over six frames with six Ks. He boosted his record to four wins and one loss this playoffs with a 1.56 ERA.

The only run against him resulted from George Springer two-out base hit in the third inning, 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 lineup after missing two games with an side strain.

Relief Effort

From there, the Dodgers’ bullpen took over. First-year pitcher Wrobleski escaped a tight spot in the seventh inning, and fellow rookie Rōki Sasaki pitched into the ninth inning before hitting Kirk to open the inning. Barger followed with a two-base hit that got stuck under the left-center-field fence, forcing base runners to stay at second and third base.

Glasnow, Los Angeles’ third game starting pitcher, entered in relief and got a popout before Andrés Giménez hit a line drive to left. Hernández caught the ball and threw to second base to double off Barger, sealing the victory and giving Glasnow his first career successful save.

Looking Ahead: Seventh Game

The series now comes down to one game. Max Scherzer will take the mound for the Blue Jays, making him the sole active hurler to start multiple World Series Game 7s after doing so in the 2019 season with the Nationals. The 40-year-old signed a one-year deal to chase another championship and has been a outspoken presence throughout this playoff run.

The Dodgers, looking to become the sport's first back-to-back title winners in nearly a quarter-century, are projected to rely on their two-way star for a brief appearance.