The World Series is headed to a final Game 7 following the Los Angeles Dodgers kept alive their title defense hopes alive Friday night with a three to one win over the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 6.
The reigning title holders ended Toronto’s late-game comeback with a thrilling game-ending double play, stunning a Rogers Centre crowd that had come ready to celebrate the city’s championship in 32 years.
The Dodgers generated all of their scoring in the third inning. With two away, Shohei Ohtani was intentionally walked before Will Smith doubled to left to bring home Tommy Edman. Freddie Freeman earned a base on balls to load the bases, and Betts delivered with a two-RBI hit to the opposite field, giving the Dodgers a three-run advantage.
Betts’ hit broke a postseason slump and revived the defending champions’ hopes of becoming the initial back-to-back championship winners since the New York Yankees won three consecutive from 1998 through 2000.
Gausman had been dominant to that stage, fanning half a dozen of the initial seven Dodgers he confronted. He fanned eight through three innings, matching a Fall Classic record, but the third-frame rally proved decisive. The Blue Jays' star ended with eight strikeouts over six innings, allowing three runs on three hits and two free passes.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, meanwhile, was solid again under stress. The 27-year-old right-hander outpitched Gausman for the second time in a week, giving up one run on five hits over six innings with six Ks. He boosted his record to four wins and one loss this playoffs with a 1.56 ERA.
The only run against him came on Springer’s two-out base hit in the third inning, scoring Addison Barger, who had doubled previously in the frame. Springer’s hit provided a momentary lift in his comeback to the starting nine after missing two games with an oblique injury.
From there, the Dodgers’ bullpen took over. Rookie Wrobleski escaped a tight spot in the seventh, and another rookie Rōki Sasaki worked into the ninth inning before hitting Kirk to start the inning. Addison Barger followed with a double that got stuck under the outfield wall, obliging runners to hold at second and third base.
Tyler Glasnow, Los Angeles’ Game 3 starter, came on in relief and got a pop fly before Andrés Giménez hit a line drive to left. Enrique Hernández caught the ball and threw to second to retire Barger, sealing the win and earning Glasnow his first career save.
The best-of-seven now boils down to one game. Max Scherzer will start for the Blue Jays, becoming the sole active hurler to pitch in more than one seventh games of the World Series after accomplishing that in 2019 with Washington. The 40-year-old inked a one-year deal to pursue another championship and has been a vocal leader throughout this playoff run.
The Dodgers, looking to become the sport's first back-to-back champions in nearly a quarter-century, are expected to rely on Shohei Ohtani for a short outing.
Lena Hoffmann is a seasoned journalist with a passion for uncovering stories that matter, specializing in German current affairs and digital media trends.
