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This year's World Series is headed to a final seventh game following the Los Angeles Dodgers kept their title defense hopes intact Friday night with a 3–1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 6.

The defending champions halted Toronto’s late-game comeback with a thrilling game-ending twin killing, silencing a home audience that had arrived prepared to celebrate the team's championship in over three decades.

Game 6 Summary

Los Angeles generated all of their offense in the third inning. With two away, Ohtani was purposely passed before Smith doubled to left to bring home Tommy Edman. Freddie Freeman earned a base on balls to fill the bases, and Mookie Betts delivered with a two-run single to left, giving the Dodgers a 3–0 advantage.

Betts’ hit broke a postseason slump and revived the title holders' hopes of being the first repeat World Series victors since the Yankees won three consecutive from 1998 through 2000.

Pitching Battle

Gausman had been nearly unhittable to that stage, fanning half a dozen of the first seven Dodgers he faced. He struck out 8 through three innings, matching a Fall Classic mark, but the third-inning barrage proved costly. The Toronto ace ended with 8 Ks over six innings, allowing three runs on three hits and two walks.

Yamamoto, meanwhile, was steady again under stress. 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 innings with six strikeouts. He boosted his record to 4–1 this playoffs with a 1.56 ERA.

The lone score against him resulted from George Springer two-out single in the third inning, driving in Addison Barger, who had hit a double previously in the frame. Springer’s hit provided a momentary lift in his comeback to the lineup after missing two games with an side strain.

Bullpen Effort

After that, the Los Angeles relievers carried the load. Rookie Wrobleski escaped a tight spot in the seventh inning, and another rookie Rōki Sasaki worked into the ninth before plunking Kirk to open the inning. Addison Barger followed with a double that became wedged under the outfield wall, forcing runners to stay at second and third base.

Tyler Glasnow, the Dodgers' Game 3 starter, entered in a relief role and got a popout before Andrés Giménez lined to left. Hernández made the catch and fired to second to retire the runner, sealing the victory and earning the pitcher his first-ever 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, making him the only living pitcher to pitch in more than one seventh games of the World Series after doing so in the 2019 season with Washington. The veteran inked a one-year deal to pursue another championship and has been a outspoken presence throughout this playoff run.

The Dodgers, looking to become the sport's first back-to-back title winners in almost 25 years, are expected to lean on their two-way star for a short outing.