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This year's World Series is headed to a decisive seventh game following the Dodgers kept alive their repeat dreams intact on Friday with a 3–1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 6.

The defending champions halted Toronto’s ninth-inning rally with a thrilling final double play, silencing a Rogers Centre audience that had come ready to celebrate the city’s championship in over three decades.

Sixth Game Summary

Los Angeles produced all of their offense in the third frame. With two away, Shohei Ohtani was purposely passed before Will Smith hit a two-bagger to left field to bring home Tommy Edman. Freeman drew a walk to fill the bases, and Betts came through with a two-RBI hit to the opposite field, handing the Dodgers a 3–0 lead.

That key hit snapped a playoff dry spell and rekindled the defending champions’ aspirations of becoming the first repeat championship winners since the New York Yankees captured three straight from 1998 through 2000.

Pitching Battle

Gausman had been dominant to that stage, fanning six of the first seven batters he confronted. He struck out eight through three innings, tying a Fall Classic record, but the third-frame rally proved costly. The Blue Jays' star finished with eight strikeouts over six innings, yielding three earned runs on three hits and two free passes.

Yamamoto, meanwhile, was steady again under stress. The 27-year-old right-hander outpitched Gausman for the second occasion in a week, allowing one run on five hits over six innings with six strikeouts. He improved to four wins and one loss this playoffs with a 1.56 ERA.

The lone score against him came on Springer’s two-out base hit in the third, scoring Barger, who had hit a double earlier in the inning. That single provided a momentary lift in his return to the starting nine after sitting out two games with an side strain.

Bullpen Heroics

From there, the Los Angeles relievers carried the load. Rookie Wrobleski got out of a tight spot in the seventh inning, and fellow rookie Sasaki worked into the ninth before hitting Kirk to start the frame. Addison Barger then hit a double that got stuck under the outfield wall, obliging runners to hold at second and third base.

Tyler Glasnow, the Dodgers' Game 3 starting pitcher, entered in relief and got a popout before Andrés Giménez hit a line drive to left field. Hernández caught the ball and fired to second to double off Barger, clinching the victory and giving Glasnow his first career save.

Looking Ahead: Seventh Game

The best-of-seven now comes down to a single contest. Max Scherzer will start for the Blue Jays, making him the sole active hurler to pitch in more than one World Series Game 7s after doing so in 2019 with Washington. The veteran inked a one-year deal to chase one more title and has been a outspoken presence throughout this playoff run.

The Dodgers, aiming to be the sport's first back-to-back title winners in nearly a quarter-century, are projected to lean on Shohei Ohtani for a brief appearance.