Los Angeles Dodgers Survive in Canada to Set Up Winner-Take-All Game 7 in Fall Classic

The World Series is going to a final Game 7 after the Dodgers kept their title defense dreams alive on Friday with a 3–1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 6.

The defending champions ended Toronto’s ninth-inning rally with a dramatic final twin killing, stunning a Rogers Centre audience that had arrived prepared to cheer the team's championship in over three decades.

Game 6 Summary

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 Betts came through with a two-run single to the opposite field, handing the Dodgers a 3–0 lead.

Betts’ hit broke a postseason slump and rekindled the title holders' aspirations of becoming the initial back-to-back World Series winners since the Yankees won three straight from 1998 to 2000.

Pitching Battle

Gausman had been dominant to that stage, striking out six of the initial seven batters he confronted. He struck out eight through three innings, tying a World Series mark, but the third-frame rally proved costly. The Blue Jays' star ended with 8 Ks over six innings, yielding three earned runs on three safeties and two walks.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, meanwhile, was solid again under pressure. The 27-year-old right-hander outdueled his counterpart for the second occasion in a week, allowing a single run on five hits over six frames with six Ks. He improved to 4–1 this postseason with a 1.56 ERA.

The only run against him resulted from Springer’s two-out base hit in the third inning, driving in Addison Barger, who had doubled earlier in the inning. Springer’s hit provided a momentary lift in his return to the starting nine after sitting out a pair of contests with an side strain.

Relief Heroics

From there, the Dodgers’ bullpen took over. Rookie Wrobleski got out of a tight spot in the seventh, and fellow rookie Rōki Sasaki pitched into the ninth inning before plunking Alejandro Kirk to open the frame. 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.

Glasnow, Los Angeles’ Game 3 starter, entered in a relief role and induced a popout before Giménez hit a line drive to left. Hernández caught the ball and fired to second base to retire Barger, sealing the win and earning the pitcher his first career save.

Next Up: Seventh Game

The series now comes down to a single contest. Max Scherzer will start for the Blue Jays, becoming the sole active hurler to pitch in multiple seventh games of the World Series after accomplishing that in 2019 with Washington. The 40-year-old inked a one-year deal to pursue one more title and has been a outspoken presence throughout this postseason.

The Los Angeles squad, looking to become the sport's first back-to-back champions in nearly a quarter-century, are expected to rely on their two-way star for a short outing.

Casey Patton
Casey Patton

A tech enthusiast and digital strategist with a passion for exploring emerging technologies and sharing practical insights.