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This year's World Series is headed to a final Game 7 after the Dodgers kept alive their title defense dreams intact on Friday with a three to one win over the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 6.

The defending champions ended Toronto’s late-game comeback with a dramatic game-ending twin killing, silencing a home audience that had arrived prepared to cheer the city’s championship in 32 years.

Game 6 Recap

The Dodgers generated all of their offense in the third inning. With two outs, Ohtani was purposely passed before Will Smith hit a two-bagger to left to bring home Edman. Freddie Freeman drew a walk to load the bases, and Betts delivered with a two-run single to left, giving the Dodgers a 3–0 lead.

That key hit broke a playoff dry spell and rekindled the title holders' hopes of becoming the initial back-to-back championship victors since the New York Yankees captured three consecutive from 1998 through 2000.

Pitching Duel

Kevin Gausman had been nearly unhittable to that point, striking out half a dozen of the first seven Dodgers he faced. He struck out eight through three frames, tying a World Series mark, but the third-inning barrage proved costly. The Toronto ace ended with 8 Ks over six frames, yielding three runs on three hits and two free passes.

Yamamoto, in contrast, was solid again under pressure. The righty outdueled Gausman for the second occasion in a seven days, allowing one run on five hits over six frames with six Ks. He improved to 4–1 this playoffs with a 1.56 ERA.

The only run against him came on Springer’s two-out base hit in the third, scoring Barger, who had doubled earlier in the inning. That single offered a brief spark in his comeback to the starting nine after missing two games with an side strain.

Relief Effort

After that, the Dodgers’ bullpen took over. First-year pitcher Justin Wrobleski got out of a tight spot in the seventh inning, and fellow rookie Rōki Sasaki worked into the ninth before plunking Kirk to open the inning. Barger followed with a two-base hit that became wedged under the left-center-field fence, forcing runners to hold at second and third.

Tyler Glasnow, the Dodgers' third game starting pitcher, entered in a relief role and got a pop fly before Andrés Giménez hit a line drive to left. Hernández caught the ball and threw to second base to double off Barger, clinching the win and earning Glasnow his first career successful save.

Looking Ahead: Game 7

The best-of-seven now comes down to a single contest. Scherzer will start for Toronto, making him the only living pitcher to start multiple World Series Game 7s after doing so in 2019 with the Nationals. The 40-year-old signed a one-year deal to pursue one more title and has been a outspoken presence throughout this postseason.

The Los Angeles squad, looking to be baseball’s first back-to-back title winners in almost 25 years, are projected to lean on Shohei Ohtani for a short outing.