Los Angeles Dodgers Survive in Toronto to Set Up Decisive Game 7 in World Series

The championship series is headed to a final seventh game after the Los Angeles Dodgers kept their repeat dreams alive Friday night with a three to one win over the Blue Jays in Game 6.

The reigning title holders ended Toronto’s ninth-inning rally with a dramatic final double play, silencing a home crowd that had arrived prepared to celebrate the city’s championship in over three decades.

Game 6 Recap

Los Angeles produced all of their scoring in the third frame. With two outs, Shohei Ohtani was purposely passed before Will Smith hit a two-bagger to left field to score Tommy Edman. Freddie Freeman drew a walk to load the bases, and Mookie Betts came through with a two-run single to left, handing the Dodgers a three-run lead.

Betts’ hit broke a postseason slump and rekindled the defending champions’ aspirations of being the initial back-to-back World Series winners since the Yankees captured three consecutive from 1998 through 2000.

Mound Battle

Kevin Gausman had been dominant to that point, striking out six of the first seven batters he faced. He fanned eight through three innings, matching a World Series mark, but the third-frame rally proved costly. The Toronto ace ended with 8 Ks over six frames, allowing three runs on three safeties and two walks.

Yamamoto, in contrast, was steady again under stress. The righty outpitched Gausman for the second time in a week, allowing a single run on five base hits over six innings with six Ks. He boosted his record to 4–1 this playoffs with a 1.56 ERA.

The only run against him resulted from George Springer two-out base hit in the third, driving in Barger, who had doubled previously in the frame. That single offered a momentary lift in his return to the starting nine after missing a pair of contests with an oblique injury.

Bullpen Effort

From there, the Dodgers’ bullpen took over. First-year pitcher Wrobleski got out of a jam in the seventh, and another rookie Sasaki pitched into the ninth inning before plunking Kirk to start the inning. Addison Barger then hit a two-base hit that got stuck under the left-center-field fence, obliging base runners to stay at second and third base.

Glasnow, the Dodgers' third game starting pitcher, came on in relief and got a popout before Andrés Giménez hit a line drive to left. Hernández caught the ball and fired to second base to retire Barger, sealing the victory and giving Glasnow his first career save.

Looking Ahead: Seventh Game

The series now boils down to one game. Scherzer will start for the Blue Jays, becoming the only living pitcher to start more than one seventh games of the World Series after doing so in the 2019 season with Washington. The veteran signed a single-season contract to pursue another championship and has been a vocal leader throughout this playoff run.

The Los Angeles squad, aiming to be baseball’s first back-to-back champions in nearly a quarter-century, are expected to rely on Shohei Ohtani for a short outing.

William Orozco
William Orozco

A passionate roulette enthusiast with over a decade of experience in casino gaming and strategy development.