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This year's World Series is going to a decisive seventh game after the Los Angeles Dodgers kept alive their repeat dreams 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 dramatic final double play, stunning a home crowd that had arrived prepared to celebrate the city’s first title in over three decades.

Sixth Game Recap

Los Angeles produced all of their scoring in the third inning. With two outs, Shohei Ohtani was purposely passed before Smith hit a two-bagger to left to score Edman. Freeman earned a base on balls to fill the bases, and Mookie Betts delivered with a two-run single to the opposite field, handing the Dodgers a 3–0 advantage.

Betts’ hit broke a playoff dry spell and rekindled the defending champions’ aspirations of becoming the initial back-to-back World Series victors since the Yankees captured three consecutive from 1998 to 2000.

Pitching Duel

Kevin Gausman had been nearly unhittable to that point, striking out half a dozen of the first seven batters he confronted. He struck out 8 through three innings, matching a Fall Classic mark, but the third-inning barrage proved decisive. The Toronto ace ended with eight strikeouts over six frames, yielding three earned runs on three hits 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 seven days, allowing one run on five base 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 Springer’s two-out single in the third inning, driving in Barger, who had doubled earlier in the inning. That single provided a momentary lift in his return to the starting nine after sitting out a pair of contests with an side strain.

Relief Heroics

From there, the Dodgers’ bullpen carried the load. First-year pitcher Justin Wrobleski got out of a jam in the seventh, and another rookie Sasaki pitched into the ninth before plunking Kirk to open the frame. Addison Barger followed with a double that became wedged under the outfield wall, forcing runners to hold at second and third base.

Glasnow, the Dodgers' Game 3 starter, came on in relief and induced a pop fly before Giménez lined to left. Enrique Hernández made the catch and threw to second base to double off Barger, clinching the victory and giving Glasnow his first-ever save.

Looking Ahead: Game 7

The series now boils down to a single contest. Max Scherzer will take the mound for Toronto, making him the sole active hurler to start multiple seventh games of the World Series after accomplishing that in the 2019 season with Washington. The 40-year-old signed a one-year deal to chase one more title and has been a outspoken presence throughout this postseason.

The Los Angeles squad, looking to become baseball’s first back-to-back title winners in nearly a quarter-century, are projected to lean on their two-way star for a short outing.