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The championship series is headed to a decisive seventh game after the Dodgers kept alive their title defense dreams intact Friday night with a 3–1 win over the Blue Jays in Game 6.

The defending champions ended Toronto’s ninth-inning rally with a dramatic final double play, stunning a home audience that had arrived prepared to cheer the city’s championship in 32 years.

Game 6 Summary

The Dodgers generated all of their offense in the third inning. With two away, Shohei Ohtani was purposely passed before Will Smith doubled to left to bring home Edman. Freeman drew a walk to load the bases, and Betts came through with a two-RBI hit to left, giving the Dodgers a three-run advantage.

Betts’ hit broke 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 through 2000.

Pitching Duel

Kevin Gausman had been nearly unhittable to that point, fanning half a dozen of the initial seven Dodgers he faced. He struck out 8 through three frames, tying a Fall Classic mark, but the third-frame rally proved decisive. The Blue Jays' star finished with 8 Ks over six frames, yielding three runs on three safeties and two walks.

Yamamoto, meanwhile, was steady again under pressure. The 27-year-old right-hander outdueled his counterpart for the second occasion in a seven days, giving up one run on five base hits over six frames with six Ks. He improved to four wins and one loss this postseason with a 1.56 ERA.

The only run against him came on George Springer two-out single in the third inning, driving in 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

From there, the Dodgers’ bullpen took over. Rookie Justin Wrobleski escaped a tight spot in the seventh, and fellow rookie Sasaki worked into the ninth before plunking Alejandro Kirk to open the inning. Barger then hit a two-base hit that became wedged under the left-center-field fence, obliging base runners to hold at second and third.

Glasnow, the Dodgers' Game 3 starter, entered in a relief role and got a pop fly before Andrés Giménez lined to left. Enrique Hernández caught the ball and threw to second to retire the runner, sealing the win and earning Glasnow his first-ever save.

Next Up: Game 7

The best-of-seven now comes down to one game. Scherzer will start for the Blue Jays, making him the only living pitcher to start multiple World Series Game 7s after doing so in the 2019 season with the Nationals. The veteran signed a single-season contract to chase one more title and has been a vocal leader throughout this postseason.

The Dodgers, aiming to become baseball’s first back-to-back champions in almost 25 years, are projected to rely on Shohei Ohtani for a brief appearance.