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This year's championship series is headed to a decisive seventh game after the Los Angeles Dodgers kept alive their repeat dreams alive on Friday with a 3–1 victory 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 audience that had come ready to celebrate the team's first title in 32 years.

Sixth Game Summary

The Dodgers generated all of their scoring in the third frame. With two outs, Ohtani was intentionally walked before Smith hit a two-bagger to left to score Tommy Edman. Freeman drew a walk to load the bases, and Betts delivered with a two-RBI hit to left, giving the Dodgers a three-run advantage.

That key hit snapped a playoff dry spell and rekindled the defending champions’ aspirations of being the initial back-to-back championship victors since the Yankees won three straight from 1998 through 2000.

Pitching Duel

Kevin Gausman had been nearly unhittable to that stage, striking out six of the initial seven Dodgers he confronted. He struck out eight through three frames, matching a World Series mark, but the third-inning barrage proved costly. The Toronto ace ended with eight strikeouts over six innings, yielding three runs on three safeties and two free passes.

Yamamoto, in contrast, was solid again under stress. The righty outdueled Gausman for the second time in a week, allowing one run on five hits over six frames with six strikeouts. He improved to four wins and one loss this postseason with a 1.56 ERA.

The only run against him resulted from Springer’s two-out base hit in the third, scoring Barger, who had doubled previously in the frame. That single provided a brief spark in his return to the starting nine after missing a pair of contests with an oblique injury.

Bullpen Heroics

After that, the Los Angeles relievers took over. Rookie Wrobleski escaped a tight spot in the seventh inning, and another rookie Sasaki worked into the ninth before hitting Kirk to open the frame. Barger followed with a two-base hit that became wedged under the outfield wall, forcing base runners to hold at second and third base.

Glasnow, the Dodgers' third game starting pitcher, came on in a relief role and got a pop fly before Giménez hit a line drive to left. Enrique Hernández made the catch and fired to second to retire the runner, sealing the win and earning the pitcher his first-ever successful save.

Next Up: Seventh Game

The best-of-seven now boils down to one game. Max Scherzer will take the mound for Toronto, becoming the sole active hurler to pitch in multiple seventh games of the World Series after doing so in the 2019 season with Washington. The 40-year-old signed a single-season contract to pursue another championship and has been a outspoken presence throughout this playoff run.

The Los Angeles squad, aiming to become the sport's first back-to-back champions in almost 25 years, are expected to rely on Shohei Ohtani for a short outing.