LA Dodgers Survive in Canada to Set Up Winner-Take-All Game 7 in Fall Classic
The championship series is going to a decisive seventh game following the Dodgers kept alive their repeat dreams alive Friday night with a 3–1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 6.
The reigning title holders ended Toronto’s ninth-inning rally with a thrilling game-ending twin killing, stunning a Rogers Centre crowd that had come ready to cheer the team's first title in 32 years.
Sixth Game Summary
The Dodgers produced all of their offense in the third frame. With two away, Ohtani was intentionally walked before Will Smith doubled to left field to bring home Edman. Freddie Freeman drew a walk to fill the bases, and Mookie Betts came through with a two-run single to the opposite field, handing the Dodgers a three-run advantage.
Betts’ hit broke a postseason slump and rekindled the defending champions’ hopes of becoming the first repeat World Series victors since the Yankees won three consecutive from 1998 through 2000.
Mound Battle
Gausman had been dominant to that point, striking out six of the first seven batters he confronted. He fanned 8 through three innings, tying a Fall Classic record, but the third-frame rally proved decisive. The Blue Jays' star finished with 8 Ks over six frames, yielding three runs on three hits and two walks.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, meanwhile, was steady again under pressure. The righty outdueled Gausman for the second time in a seven days, giving up 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 came on Springer’s two-out base hit in the third inning, scoring Addison Barger, who had hit a double previously in the frame. Springer’s hit provided a momentary lift in his comeback to the starting nine after sitting out a pair of contests with an side strain.
Relief Effort
After that, the Dodgers’ bullpen carried the load. First-year pitcher Justin Wrobleski got out of a tight spot in the seventh, and another rookie Sasaki worked into the ninth before hitting Alejandro Kirk to open the inning. Barger then hit a two-base hit that got stuck under the left-center-field fence, obliging runners to hold at second and third.
Glasnow, the Dodgers' third game starter, came on in relief and got a popout before Giménez lined to left. Hernández made the catch and threw to second to retire Barger, clinching the win and giving Glasnow his first-ever successful save.
Looking Ahead: Game 7
The best-of-seven now comes down to one game. Max Scherzer will start for the Blue Jays, making him the sole active hurler to pitch in multiple seventh games of the World Series after accomplishing that in the 2019 season with the Nationals. The veteran signed a one-year deal to chase one more title and has been a outspoken presence throughout this postseason.
The Dodgers, looking to become baseball’s initial repeat champions in nearly a quarter-century, are projected to rely on their two-way star for a brief appearance.