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The championship series is going to a decisive Game 7 following the Dodgers kept their title defense hopes intact on Friday with a 3–1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 6.

The reigning title holders halted Toronto’s ninth-inning rally with a thrilling final twin killing, stunning a home crowd that had arrived prepared to cheer the city’s championship in over three decades.

Sixth Game Summary

The Dodgers produced all of their scoring in the third inning. With two away, Ohtani was intentionally walked before Smith doubled to left to score Edman. Freeman earned a base on balls to load the bases, and Betts delivered with a two-run single to left, handing the Dodgers a 3–0 advantage.

That key hit broke a playoff dry spell and revived the title holders' aspirations of being the first repeat World Series winners since the New York Yankees won three straight from 1998 to 2000.

Pitching Duel

Gausman had been nearly unhittable to that stage, fanning six of the first seven batters he faced. He struck out 8 through three frames, tying a Fall Classic mark, but the third-inning barrage proved decisive. The Blue Jays' star finished with eight strikeouts over six frames, allowing three runs on three hits and two walks.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, in contrast, was steady again under stress. The 27-year-old right-hander outdueled Gausman for the second time in a seven days, giving up a single run on five base 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 base hit in the third, driving in Addison Barger, who had doubled earlier in the inning. Springer’s hit provided a brief spark in his return to the lineup after sitting out two games with an oblique injury.

Bullpen Effort

From there, the Dodgers’ bullpen carried the load. Rookie Justin Wrobleski got out of a tight spot in the seventh inning, and another rookie Sasaki pitched into the ninth before hitting Kirk to start the frame. Addison Barger then hit a double that got stuck under the left-center-field fence, forcing runners to stay at second and third.

Tyler Glasnow, Los Angeles’ Game 3 starting pitcher, entered in relief and got a popout before Giménez hit a line drive to left. Hernández caught the ball and fired to second base to retire the runner, clinching the victory and earning Glasnow his first-ever save.

Looking Ahead: Game 7

The series now boils down to one game. Scherzer will start for the Blue Jays, making him the sole active hurler to pitch in multiple seventh games of the World Series after doing so in the 2019 season with the Nationals. The 40-year-old inked a single-season contract to pursue another championship and has been a outspoken presence throughout this postseason.

The Dodgers, aiming to be baseball’s initial repeat title winners in nearly a quarter-century, are projected to rely on their two-way star for a short outing.