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The championship series is going to a final Game 7 after the Los Angeles Dodgers kept alive their title defense hopes intact Friday night with a 3–1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 6.

The defending champions ended Toronto’s ninth-inning rally with a thrilling game-ending twin killing, silencing a home audience that had come ready 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, Ohtani was purposely passed before Smith hit a two-bagger to left field to score Edman. Freddie Freeman drew a walk to load the bases, and Mookie Betts delivered with a two-RBI hit to the opposite field, giving the Dodgers a 3–0 lead.

Betts’ hit broke a postseason slump and rekindled the defending champions’ hopes of becoming the initial back-to-back championship victors since the Yankees won three straight from 1998 to 2000.

Mound Battle

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

Yamamoto, in contrast, was solid again under stress. The 27-year-old right-hander outdueled his counterpart for the second occasion in a seven days, giving up one run on five base hits over six frames with six Ks. He boosted his record to four wins and one loss this playoffs with a 1.56 ERA.

The lone score against him came on Springer’s two-out base hit in the third, scoring Addison Barger, who had hit a double earlier in the inning. Springer’s hit provided a momentary lift in his comeback to the starting nine after missing a pair of contests with an side strain.

Relief Heroics

After that, the Dodgers’ bullpen took over. First-year pitcher Wrobleski got out of a jam in the seventh inning, and fellow rookie Sasaki worked into the ninth before hitting Kirk to open the frame. Addison Barger then hit a two-base hit that became wedged under the left-center-field fence, forcing base runners to hold at second and third base.

Glasnow, Los Angeles’ Game 3 starter, entered in relief and induced a pop fly before Giménez hit a line drive to left field. Enrique Hernández caught the ball and threw to second base to double off the runner, clinching the victory and giving Glasnow his first-ever save.

Looking Ahead: Game 7

The best-of-seven now boils down to one game. Scherzer will take the mound for the Blue Jays, making him the only living pitcher to start multiple World Series Game 7s after accomplishing that in the 2019 season with Washington. The 40-year-old inked a one-year deal to chase one more title and has been a outspoken presence 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 brief appearance.