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The World Series is going to a decisive seventh game following the Dodgers kept their title defense hopes alive on Friday with a three to one win over the Blue Jays in Game 6.

The defending champions halted Toronto’s ninth-inning rally with a thrilling final double play, stunning a home audience that had arrived prepared to cheer the city’s championship in 32 years.

Sixth Game Recap

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

Betts’ hit snapped a postseason slump and revived the title holders' hopes of being the initial back-to-back World Series victors since the New York Yankees captured three consecutive 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 struck out 8 through three frames, matching a World Series record, but the third-inning barrage proved costly. The Blue Jays' star finished with 8 Ks over six innings, yielding three runs on three safeties and two free passes.

Yamamoto, meanwhile, was solid again under pressure. The 27-year-old right-hander outdueled Gausman for the second occasion in a week, allowing one run on five hits over six innings with six strikeouts. He improved to 4–1 this playoffs with a 1.56 ERA.

The lone score against him resulted from George Springer two-out single in the third, scoring Barger, who had doubled previously in the frame. That single offered a brief spark in his return to the starting nine after missing two games with an side strain.

Relief Heroics

From there, the Los Angeles relievers carried the load. Rookie Wrobleski got out of a jam in the seventh inning, and another rookie Rōki Sasaki worked into the ninth before hitting Kirk to start the inning. Barger followed with a two-base hit that became wedged under the left-center-field fence, obliging base runners to hold at second and third.

Glasnow, Los Angeles’ third game starter, entered in a relief role and induced a pop fly before Giménez lined to left. Enrique Hernández made the catch and fired to second base to retire Barger, clinching the win and giving the pitcher his first-ever save.

Next Up: Game 7

The series now boils down to one game. Max Scherzer will start for Toronto, making him the only living pitcher to start more than one World Series Game 7s after doing so in the 2019 season with the Nationals. The veteran signed a single-season contract to chase another championship and has been a outspoken presence throughout this playoff run.

The Dodgers, aiming to be baseball’s first back-to-back title winners in almost 25 years, are projected to lean on their two-way star for a brief appearance.