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The World Series is headed to a decisive Game 7 after the Dodgers kept their title defense hopes alive on Friday with a 3–1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 6.

The defending champions halted Toronto’s ninth-inning rally with a dramatic game-ending double play, stunning a Rogers Centre crowd that had come ready to cheer the city’s first title in over three decades.

Sixth Game Recap

The Dodgers produced all of their scoring in the third inning. With two away, Shohei Ohtani was intentionally walked before Smith doubled to left to bring home Edman. Freddie Freeman earned a base on balls to fill the bases, and Mookie Betts delivered with a two-run single to the opposite field, giving the Dodgers a three-run advantage.

Betts’ hit broke a playoff dry spell and revived the defending champions’ hopes of becoming the first repeat World Series victors since the Yankees won three straight from 1998 through 2000.

Pitching Duel

Kevin Gausman had been dominant to that point, fanning half a dozen of the first seven Dodgers he confronted. He fanned eight through three innings, tying a World Series mark, but the third-frame rally proved costly. The Blue Jays' star ended with eight strikeouts over six frames, allowing three runs on three safeties and two free passes.

Yamamoto, meanwhile, was solid again under stress. The 27-year-old right-hander outpitched Gausman for the second time in a seven days, giving up a single run on five hits over six innings with six Ks. He boosted his record to 4–1 this postseason with a 1.56 ERA.

The only run against him resulted from George Springer two-out single in the third, scoring Barger, who had doubled earlier in the inning. That single offered a momentary lift in his return to the lineup after sitting out a pair of contests with an side strain.

Bullpen Effort

From there, the Dodgers’ bullpen carried the load. First-year pitcher Justin Wrobleski got out of a jam in the seventh inning, and another rookie Rōki Sasaki worked into the ninth before hitting Alejandro Kirk to start the inning. 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 relief and induced a pop fly before Andrés Giménez lined to left. Enrique Hernández made the catch and fired to second to retire Barger, sealing the victory and earning the pitcher his first career successful save.

Next Up: Game 7

The series now comes down to a single contest. Scherzer will start for Toronto, making him the only living pitcher to start more than one World Series Game 7s after accomplishing that in the 2019 season with the Nationals. The 40-year-old inked a single-season contract to pursue one more title and has been a vocal leader throughout this postseason.

The Dodgers, looking to become the sport's initial repeat title winners in almost 25 years, are projected to lean on Shohei Ohtani for a short outing.