Los Angeles Dodgers Survive in Toronto to Set Up Decisive Game 7 in World Series
This year's World Series is going to a final seventh game following the Los Angeles Dodgers kept alive their repeat dreams intact on Friday with a three to one win over the Blue Jays in Game 6.
The reigning title holders halted Toronto’s late-game comeback with a thrilling game-ending twin killing, silencing a home crowd that had come ready to celebrate the city’s championship in 32 years.
Sixth Game Recap
The Dodgers produced all of their scoring in the third inning. With two away, Ohtani was purposely passed before Will Smith doubled to left field to bring home Edman. Freddie Freeman earned a base on balls to load the bases, and Betts came through with a two-run single to left, handing the Dodgers a three-run lead.
That key hit snapped a playoff dry spell and rekindled the title holders' aspirations of becoming the first repeat championship victors since the Yankees won three consecutive from 1998 to 2000.
Mound Battle
Kevin Gausman had been nearly unhittable to that point, striking out six of the initial seven batters he confronted. He struck out 8 through three innings, tying a World Series record, but the third-frame rally proved costly. The Toronto ace ended with 8 Ks over six frames, yielding three runs on three hits and two free passes.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, meanwhile, was steady again under pressure. The 27-year-old right-hander outdueled his counterpart for the second time in a week, allowing a single run on five base hits over six innings with six strikeouts. He improved to 4–1 this postseason with a 1.56 ERA.
The lone score against him resulted from George Springer two-out base hit in the third, driving in Addison Barger, who had hit a double earlier in the inning. That single offered a momentary lift in his comeback to the starting nine after missing two games with an oblique injury.
Relief Effort
From there, the Los Angeles relievers carried the load. First-year pitcher Wrobleski escaped a tight spot in the seventh, and fellow rookie Sasaki worked into the ninth before plunking Alejandro Kirk to start 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.
Tyler Glasnow, the Dodgers' Game 3 starting pitcher, came on in a relief role and induced a popout before Giménez hit a line drive to left. Hernández made the catch and fired to second base to double off the runner, clinching the win and earning the pitcher 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 sole active hurler to start multiple World Series Game 7s after doing so in the 2019 season with Washington. The veteran signed a one-year deal to chase one more title and has been a outspoken presence throughout this postseason.
The Dodgers, aiming to become baseball’s initial repeat champions in almost 25 years, are expected to rely on Shohei Ohtani for a short outing.