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This year's championship series is headed to a decisive seventh game after the Dodgers kept their repeat hopes intact Friday night with a 3–1 win over the Blue Jays in Game 6.

The reigning title holders halted Toronto’s ninth-inning rally with a thrilling final twin killing, stunning a home crowd that had arrived prepared to celebrate the city’s championship in 32 years.

Game 6 Recap

Los Angeles produced all of their offense in the third frame. With two away, Shohei Ohtani was purposely passed before Smith hit a two-bagger to left to bring home Edman. Freeman earned a base on balls to fill the bases, and Mookie Betts delivered with a two-RBI hit to left, handing the Dodgers a three-run lead.

That key hit snapped a playoff dry spell and revived the defending champions’ hopes of being the first repeat World Series winners since the Yankees won three straight from 1998 through 2000.

Mound Duel

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

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, meanwhile, was solid again under stress. The righty outpitched Gausman for the second occasion in a week, giving up a single run on five hits over six frames with six Ks. He boosted his record to four wins and one loss this postseason with a 1.56 ERA.

The lone score against him resulted from George Springer two-out base hit in the third, scoring Barger, who had hit a double earlier in the inning. Springer’s hit provided a brief spark in his comeback to the starting nine after sitting out a pair of contests with an side strain.

Relief Effort

From there, the Dodgers’ bullpen carried the load. Rookie Justin Wrobleski got out of a tight spot in the seventh inning, and fellow rookie Sasaki worked into the ninth inning before plunking Kirk to start the frame. Addison Barger then hit a two-base hit that got stuck under the left-center-field fence, obliging base runners to stay at second and third.

Glasnow, Los Angeles’ third game starter, entered in relief and got a popout before Andrés Giménez hit a line drive to left. Hernández made the catch and fired to second base to retire Barger, clinching the victory and earning the pitcher his first-ever save.

Next Up: Seventh Game

The series now comes down to one game. Scherzer will take the mound for Toronto, making him the only living pitcher to pitch in more than one World Series Game 7s after accomplishing that in the 2019 season with the Nationals. The 40-year-old inked a one-year deal to chase one more title and has been a outspoken presence throughout this postseason.

The Dodgers, looking to become baseball’s first back-to-back champions in almost 25 years, are expected to rely on their two-way star for a short outing.