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This year's championship series is headed to a decisive seventh game following the Los Angeles Dodgers kept their repeat dreams alive Friday night with a three to one victory over the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 6.

The reigning title holders ended Toronto’s late-game comeback with a dramatic game-ending double play, silencing a Rogers Centre crowd that had come ready to cheer the team's first title in 32 years.

Game 6 Recap

The Dodgers produced all of their offense in the third frame. With two away, Shohei Ohtani was intentionally walked before Will Smith doubled to left field to bring home Edman. Freeman earned a base on balls to load the bases, and Mookie Betts came through with a two-run single to the opposite field, handing the Dodgers a 3–0 advantage.

Betts’ hit broke a playoff dry spell and revived the defending champions’ hopes of becoming the initial back-to-back championship victors since the Yankees won three consecutive from 1998 through 2000.

Pitching Battle

Kevin Gausman had been dominant to that point, striking out six of the initial seven Dodgers he faced. He struck out eight through three innings, matching a World Series record, but the third-inning barrage proved costly. The Toronto ace ended with 8 Ks over six innings, yielding three runs on three safeties and two walks.

Yamamoto, in contrast, was solid again under pressure. The 27-year-old right-hander outdueled his counterpart for the second time in a week, giving up one run on five base hits over six innings with six Ks. He improved to four wins and one loss this playoffs with a 1.56 ERA.

The only run against him resulted from Springer’s two-out base hit in the third, driving in Addison Barger, who had hit a double earlier in the inning. Springer’s hit provided a momentary lift in his return to the starting nine after sitting out a pair of contests with an oblique injury.

Relief Effort

From there, the Dodgers’ bullpen carried the load. Rookie Justin Wrobleski escaped a tight spot in the seventh, and fellow rookie Rōki Sasaki worked into the ninth inning before hitting Alejandro Kirk to start 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, the Dodgers' third game starter, entered in a relief role and induced a popout before Giménez hit a line drive to left field. Enrique Hernández made the catch and threw to second to double off Barger, clinching the victory and earning Glasnow his first career successful save.

Looking Ahead: Seventh Game

The best-of-seven now comes down to one game. Max Scherzer will start for the Blue Jays, becoming the only living pitcher to start multiple World Series Game 7s after accomplishing that in the 2019 season with the Nationals. The veteran inked a single-season contract to pursue another championship and has been a vocal leader throughout this postseason.

The Los Angeles squad, looking to be baseball’s initial repeat title winners in nearly a quarter-century, are expected to lean on Shohei Ohtani for a short outing.