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The World Series is going to a decisive seventh game after the Los Angeles Dodgers kept their title defense dreams intact on Friday with a 3–1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 6.

The defending champions halted Toronto’s late-game comeback with a dramatic final twin killing, silencing a Rogers Centre audience that had come ready to cheer the city’s championship in 32 years.

Sixth Game Summary

The Dodgers produced all of their offense in the third inning. With two outs, Shohei Ohtani was intentionally walked before Will Smith hit a two-bagger to left to bring home Edman. Freddie Freeman earned a base on balls to fill the bases, and Mookie Betts came through with a two-RBI hit to left, handing the Dodgers a three-run lead.

That key hit snapped a playoff dry spell and rekindled the defending champions’ hopes of being the initial back-to-back World Series victors since the Yankees captured three straight from 1998 through 2000.

Pitching Battle

Kevin Gausman had been dominant to that point, striking out six of the initial seven Dodgers he faced. He struck out 8 through three frames, matching a World Series record, but the third-inning barrage proved decisive. The Toronto ace finished with eight strikeouts over six frames, allowing three earned runs on three safeties and two walks.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, meanwhile, was solid again under pressure. The 27-year-old right-hander outdueled Gausman for the second time in a week, giving up one run on five base hits over six frames with six Ks. He boosted his record to 4–1 this postseason with a 1.56 ERA.

The only run against him resulted from George Springer two-out base hit in the third inning, driving in Addison Barger, who had doubled previously in the frame. That single provided a brief spark in his return to the lineup after missing two games with an side strain.

Relief Effort

After that, the Los Angeles relievers took over. First-year pitcher Justin Wrobleski got out of a jam in the seventh, and fellow rookie Sasaki worked into the ninth inning before hitting Kirk to open the inning. Addison Barger then hit a double that became wedged under the left-center-field fence, forcing base runners to hold at second and third base.

Glasnow, Los Angeles’ third game starter, entered in relief and got a pop fly before Andrés Giménez hit a line drive to left. Hernández made the catch and fired to second to double off Barger, clinching the win and earning Glasnow his first career successful save.

Looking Ahead: Seventh Game

The best-of-seven now boils down to one game. Max Scherzer will take the mound for the Blue Jays, becoming the only living pitcher to start more than one World Series Game 7s after doing so in 2019 with Washington. The 40-year-old inked a single-season contract to pursue one more title and has been a outspoken presence throughout this playoff run.

The Los Angeles squad, aiming to become baseball’s initial repeat title winners in nearly a quarter-century, are expected to lean on Shohei Ohtani for a brief appearance.