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The World Series is headed to a final Game 7 following the Dodgers kept their title defense hopes intact 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 dramatic final double play, stunning a Rogers Centre crowd that had come ready to cheer the city’s championship in over three decades.

Game 6 Recap

The Dodgers produced 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 earned a base on balls to load the bases, and Mookie 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 revived the defending champions’ aspirations of becoming the initial back-to-back championship winners since the New York Yankees captured three consecutive from 1998 through 2000.

Mound Battle

Gausman had been nearly unhittable to that point, striking out half a dozen of the first seven batters he faced. He fanned 8 through three innings, tying a Fall Classic mark, but the third-frame rally proved costly. The Toronto ace finished with eight strikeouts over six innings, yielding three runs on three hits and two walks.

Yamamoto, in contrast, was steady again under pressure. The 27-year-old right-hander outdueled his counterpart for the second occasion in a week, giving up one run on five hits over six innings with six Ks. He improved to 4–1 this playoffs with a 1.56 ERA.

The lone score against him came on George Springer two-out base hit in the third inning, driving in Barger, who had hit a double 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 Los Angeles relievers took over. Rookie Justin Wrobleski got out of a tight spot in the seventh, and another rookie Sasaki pitched into the ninth inning before plunking Alejandro Kirk to open the frame. Barger then hit a two-base hit that got stuck under the left-center-field fence, obliging runners to stay at second and third.

Glasnow, Los Angeles’ Game 3 starting pitcher, entered in a relief role and induced a pop fly before Andrés Giménez lined to left. Enrique Hernández caught the ball and threw to second base to retire Barger, clinching the victory and giving the pitcher his first career save.

Next Up: Seventh Game

The series now boils down to a single contest. Max Scherzer will start for Toronto, becoming the sole active hurler to pitch in more than one World Series Game 7s after doing so in 2019 with the Nationals. The 40-year-old signed a one-year deal to pursue another championship and has been a vocal leader throughout this postseason.

The Los Angeles squad, aiming to be baseball’s first back-to-back champions in almost 25 years, are expected to rely on their two-way star for a short outing.