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The World Series is headed to a decisive seventh game after the Los Angeles Dodgers kept their title defense dreams intact Friday night with a three to one victory over the Blue Jays in Game 6.

The reigning title holders halted Toronto’s late-game comeback with a thrilling final double play, stunning a home crowd that had arrived prepared to celebrate the city’s championship in over three decades.

Sixth Game Summary

The Dodgers generated all of their offense in the third inning. With two away, Ohtani was intentionally walked before Will Smith doubled to left to score Edman. Freddie Freeman earned a base on balls to fill the bases, and Betts came through with a two-RBI hit to left, giving the Dodgers a three-run lead.

Betts’ hit broke a playoff dry spell and rekindled the title holders' hopes of being the initial back-to-back championship winners since the New York Yankees captured three straight from 1998 to 2000.

Mound Battle

Gausman had been nearly unhittable to that stage, fanning six of the first seven batters he faced. He fanned eight through three frames, matching a World Series record, but the third-inning barrage proved costly. The Blue Jays' star ended with eight strikeouts over six innings, yielding three runs on three safeties and two free passes.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, in contrast, was solid again under stress. The 27-year-old right-hander outpitched Gausman for the second occasion in a week, giving up a single run on five hits over six innings with six strikeouts. He improved to four wins and one loss this postseason with a 1.56 ERA.

The lone score against him came on George Springer two-out single in the third, scoring Addison Barger, who had hit a double earlier in the inning. Springer’s hit offered a brief spark in his return to the lineup after sitting out a pair of contests with an side strain.

Relief Heroics

From there, the Dodgers’ bullpen took over. Rookie Justin Wrobleski escaped a tight spot in the seventh inning, and another rookie Rōki Sasaki worked into the ninth inning before hitting Alejandro Kirk to start the inning. Barger then hit a two-base hit that became wedged under the outfield wall, obliging runners to hold at second and third base.

Tyler Glasnow, Los Angeles’ third game starting pitcher, came on in relief and induced a popout before Andrés Giménez hit a line drive to left field. Hernández caught the ball and threw to second to retire the runner, sealing the win and earning Glasnow his first-ever successful save.

Looking Ahead: Seventh Game

The best-of-seven now boils down to one game. Scherzer will take the mound for Toronto, becoming the only living pitcher to start multiple World Series Game 7s after accomplishing that in 2019 with Washington. The veteran signed a one-year deal to chase another championship and has been a vocal leader throughout this playoff run.

The Los Angeles squad, aiming to become baseball’s initial repeat champions in almost 25 years, are expected to rely on their two-way star for a short outing.