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The championship series is headed to a final seventh game after the Dodgers kept alive their title defense hopes intact on Friday with a 3–1 win over the Blue Jays in Game 6.

The reigning title holders ended Toronto’s ninth-inning rally with a dramatic game-ending double play, stunning a home crowd that had arrived prepared to celebrate the team's first title in over three decades.

Sixth Game Summary

Los Angeles produced all of their scoring in the third frame. With two away, Ohtani was purposely passed before Smith doubled to left to bring home Edman. Freddie Freeman drew a walk to load the bases, and Betts delivered with a two-run single to the opposite field, giving the Dodgers a three-run advantage.

That key hit snapped a postseason slump and revived the title holders' hopes of becoming the first repeat championship victors since the Yankees won three straight from 1998 to 2000.

Pitching Duel

Gausman had been nearly unhittable to that point, striking out six of the initial seven batters he faced. He fanned eight through three innings, tying a Fall Classic record, but the third-frame rally proved costly. The Toronto ace ended with 8 Ks over six frames, yielding three earned runs on three hits and two free passes.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, in contrast, was solid again under pressure. The 27-year-old right-hander outdueled his counterpart for the second occasion in a week, allowing one run on five hits over six frames with six Ks. He boosted his record to 4–1 this playoffs with a 1.56 ERA.

The lone score against him came on George Springer two-out base hit in the third, scoring Addison Barger, who had hit a double earlier in the inning. Springer’s hit provided a brief spark in his comeback to the lineup after sitting out two games with an oblique injury.

Bullpen Effort

From there, the Los Angeles relievers carried the load. First-year pitcher Wrobleski got out of a tight spot in the seventh, and fellow rookie Sasaki pitched into the ninth inning before hitting Kirk to open the frame. Barger followed with a two-base hit that got stuck under the outfield wall, forcing runners to stay at second and third.

Tyler Glasnow, Los Angeles’ Game 3 starter, came on in a relief role and induced a pop fly before Giménez lined to left. Hernández caught the ball and threw to second base to double off Barger, sealing the victory and earning Glasnow his first-ever successful save.

Next Up: Seventh Game

The series now comes down to a single contest. Scherzer will start for the Blue Jays, making him the sole active hurler to start multiple World Series Game 7s after accomplishing that in 2019 with Washington. The 40-year-old inked a single-season contract to pursue another championship and has been a vocal leader throughout this playoff run.

The Los Angeles squad, aiming to become baseball’s first back-to-back champions in nearly a quarter-century, are projected to rely on their two-way star for a brief appearance.